Soon to follow were petit point and needlepoint stone shaping. The focus became cutting the stones to fit the design of the silverwork, as opposed to creating a design around one central stone. In the 1930's, a new technique called overlay was introduced in Hopi and it has remained the style most associated with Hopi jewelry. Then the artist textures and oxidizes the background for contrast. Often no stones are added, although contemporary pieces frequently contain stones.
Most designs are symbolic of natural forces, plants, animals or katsinas.
All of our jewelry is handmade by individual Native American artists from the southwest. We consider beauty and quality workmanship to be of equal importance in selecting pieces for our gallery. We look for unique pieces with well-chosen materials. Many of our pieces contain traditional elements such as petroglyphs yet have a contemporary design. Our website display shows a small sample of our inventory.