eBay score on a Hopi buckle

Just got home to this eBay find in my mailbox. The artist is Ryan Kuyvaya. I wasn’t familiar with the artist before but there’s a few things out there of his and he’s got a very distinct style.

Always wait for that seller offer, folks. :grin:

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Wow! It’s absolutely stunning, and that openwork is lovely. What a bold and striking piece. I love it.

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@AZBoots Congrats! That’s a great looking buckle. The open work is such a unique feature on it. I like everything about it.

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Mr deer (or elk) appears to be wearing a scarf :grin:

Pretty cool buckle. Not sure what you mean by “wait for that seller offer?” I don’t shop on eBay; I just fly to the southwest for it :laughing:

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Also, can we see the hallmark? To help us learn, although I guess I can Google.

Edit: found it.

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I was going to mention the scarf – it gives the deer a faintly nordic / wintry / Christmastime look!

Maybe it’s meant to be a collar? In any case, it’s very appealing.

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Maybe he’s gonna decorate the Christmas…corn stalk…

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On eBay, sellers can put out private offers to buyers that have the item on their watch list. Usually I get offers around 10-15% off but this one was over 25% so I jumped on it.

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I see, thanks.

I wonder if he’s a newer artist, at least since 1998 (when my book was last updated) He is not in my Hopi Silver, the History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing book.

I know you found it but this was so hard to get my phone to focus on that I’m posting it anyways. :joy:

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No, that’s good! That way in case any more work of his shows up, we will know whose it is. Thanks!

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Beautiful and unique.
I wonder what the significance of a corn stalk and a deer are.
The deer here in Wisconsin love dining out in the corn fields, lol.

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waiting.still

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I’d love to find this as a pin or brooch! Great piece!

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But, but, Steve! The top two lots are 15 per cent off already :laughing:

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I have counter-offered their best deal with what I thought was a fair price. This especially works well when I have been following it for six months or more.

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In regards to the scarf or collar—

I’ve been doing some poking around and I’ve found a couple deer images on silver that appear to have a collar. The only thing I can find to explain this is that the Deer Kachina wears a collar of juniper. I’m not sure if that is a stretch or not. I will ask someone more knowledgeable than myself when I get the opportunity.

The symbols inside the deer—

I believe the left symbol is rain cloud or storm and the symbol on the right is a whirlwind which is a rain bringer. The whirlwind seems to be a common symbol inside deer images and may speak to the belief of deer as a rain bringer or symbol of bounty.

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WOW!!..simply… WOW!!!