A hand-carved overlay sterling silver cuff.  The cuff is an example of fine silver overlay craftsmanship by one of the best known names; Berra Tawahongva.  Tawahongva was one of the most acclaimed Hopi Overlay artists. As early as Berra could remember, he was sketching on any scrap of paper he could find. He soon graduated to painting and focused on Hopi themes of petroglyph symbols, animals, and kachinas.

When Berra was in 6th grade, he was first introduced to jewelry by Ramon Dalangyawma. To start, Berra would practice on pieces of tin. He soon worked his way through brass, then copper, and finally mastered silverwork. Berra said he would pour all of his designs from painting in the the silver.

In the mid 1980s, Berra worked at the Hopi Guild shop which has since closed. It was there that Berra mastered his craft.

His pieces are so unlike anything we have seen.  Berra got his inspiration from his environment up at Hopi. There are many petroglyphs on the Mesa walls. He would look for unusual petroglyphs, and when he found one that inspired him, he would press his hand against the wall, and then his hand against paper, and get some resemblance of a figure.  

If you look closely at his work you will notice he created designs within designs. At first impression his pieces seem obvious, but his intricate work hides secrets you will find only by looking longer.

His pieces are very collectible and sold throughout the world. In Japan, Berra is one of the most collected contemporary Hopi jewelers at this time. Berra Tawahongva created some of the finest Hopi overlay jewelry we've seen by a contemporary artist and we were proud to work with him.  Berra was a soft spoken and kind man full of life. Sadly, he passed away in 2023. 

The overlay technique is constructed through a piece of silver with a design carved into it, creating a negative design, this is then laid over a second piece of silver, or gold, and soldered together. First, the artist painstakingly cuts a design out of silver. The designs must be carefully carved out, a very intricate detailed and important step in the whole process. This dimensional pattern in the silver is then soldered onto a sheet of plain silver, the inside relief area is then oxidized to created a black matte background from the polished silver front.

While Hopis are considered to be masters of the overlay technique, many other tribes utilize overlay in their work. Navajo overlay can be just as technically impressive, yet the designs and symbols will differ greatly. One way to differentiate Hopi and Navajo overlay, other than subject matter, is the etching of the base layer of silver. The artists of the Hopi tribe will usually have a finely etched texture on the base layer while Navajos will leave the silver beneath smooth. This can be seen in this buckle under close inspection where there are fine engraved lines enhancing the movement in the design work on the front piece.

The cuff depicts a scene of Hopi Katsina, or Katchinas in other tribes. The Katsinas are holy spirits that live upon the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona and other sacred mountains in the Southwest. During the period beginning with the Winter Solstice and extending to about mid-July, masked dancers initiated into the various clans of the Hopi Pueblos impersonate these spirits.

Men portray both the male and female spirits and when an initiate wears the mask of his Kachina, he becomes that spirit personified. During the open dances, the Kachinas dance in the plaza or from kiva to kiva distributing the Kachina dolls, toy bows, rattles, fruit and sweets to the children between dances.

Kachina dolls and imagery have long been a tradition among the Hopi tribes. They also have spiritual significance for the Navajo and are commonly crafted by Navajo artists.

The cuff is in excellent original condition and can fit almost any wrist size.  The opening at the back of the cuff is currently one and a half inches, but can be either opened or closed more by simply squeezing the ends together.  These pieces of jewellery really are unique pieces of art in their own right.  Something that will only become more rare and desirable as the few remaining talented artisans pass.