Charlotte Joshua Andrews, Hopi |
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NOTE: Items in our Vintage Shop are either USED or NEW. They might come from inheritances, estate sales, private collections, and store liquidations. Many items are brand new (NOS, New Old Stock) and in perfect condition while others may show tarnish, scratches and other signs of use. Major issues will be described in detail and shown in photos. Vintage Shop items are sold as described and are not returnable. |
Charlotte Joshua AndrewsCharlotte Andrews was one of the few female artists to learn and practice silversmithing at the Hopi Silvercrafts Arts and Crafts Guild. As a female artist in a male-dominated field, she broke barriers and paved the way for other women in Native American jewelry making. Her jewelry is sought after by collectors and enthusiasts of Native American jewelry and Hopi culture. |
Badger SymbolismBadger represents good work ethic, caution, healing and protection. Pueblo tribes associate Badger with the color red and the South guardian of the six directions. |
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 Hopi artists often leave the background smooth. Hopi artists tend to use geometric designs and symbols similar to those used in their pottery and baskets. Hopi 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. |
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. |
About Native American RingsMaterialsSouthwest Native American rings can be made from many materials but usually are sterling silver alone or embellished with turquoise, coral, jet, Turquoise, petrified wood, abalone, lapis lazuli, jasper, gaspeite, malachite, spiny oyster, tiger eye, white buffalo stone, onyx, opal, bear claws and much more. StylesThe styles of Southwest Native American rings are many and varied including bands, single stone, , cigar band, pictorial inlay, cobblestone, corn row and mosaic inlay, storyteller, sandcast and tufa cast, cluster, petit point, needlepoint, snake eye, overlay, feather, leaf, channel inlay and others. NavajoNavajo rings are typically a sterling silver band, often heavy and/or elaborate. The band can be silver only or have stones that are set with various types of bezels. For more information on bezels, read my article Types of Bezels. If a Navajo ring is inlaid, the inlay pieces are usually separated by silver channels.ZuniZuni rings are usually either stone-on-stone inlays (no silver channels in between the pieces), snake rings, snake eye, petit point or needlepoint. HopiHopi rings are most often sterling silver overlays with contrasting (oxidized) and textured backgrounds. Read more in my blog post: Southwest Native American Rings |
Horsekeeping
LLC - Definitions of Jewelry Age and Condition | |
Patina | A dark or colored film of oxidation that forms naturally on metal exposure to air and other elements. It is often valued for its aesthetically pleasing appearance. |
Vintage | 30 years or older. |
NOS | New Old Stock. Retail store inventory from at least 10 years ago. |
Pre-owned | An item that has been used. |
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