Calvin
Peterson, Navajo | ||||||||
1/4" bail opening will accomodate a chain or cable. | Calvin
Peterson, Navajo (ONLY ONE OF EACH AVAILABLE) | |||||||
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About Silver100% solid silver won't tarnish but it is too soft to use for making jewelry - it could easily be scratched, dented and bent. Sterling silver has a small amount of one or more other metals usually copper, added to the silver. To be called sterling silver, the alloy must contain at least 92.5% pure silver. Sterling silver alloy is harder than pure silver but the added metals also can cause discoloration or tarnish. |
What is Overlay?Native American overlay pieces are made of two layers of sterling silver. The bottom layer is a solid piece while the top layer has a cutout design. The cutout layer is placed over the bottom layer and the two pieces are "sweated" together, heated so that they become one solid piece of sterling silver. The bottom layer, or background, that shows through the cut out portion of the top layer is often darkened for contrast. Hopi
silversmiths typically texture the background layer with hash marks while Navajo
artists often leave the background smooth. Hopi artists tend to use geometric
designs and symbols similar to those used in their pottery and baskets. Navajo
silversmiths tend to create scenes depicting everyday life using people, animals,
buildings and landscapes to tell a story - this style is called "overlay storyteller
jewelry". Read
more about overlay here. |
