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Slip into the Turquoise

Posted on July 20, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Abstract, Handmade, Native American, Silver | Leave a Comment

Ric Charlie is an accomplished Navajo artist and jewelry designer of the Tsi’naajínii (Black-Streaked-Wood People) and Tábaahá  (Edgewater) clans of Arizona.  Ric’s mastery as a silversmith adds a level of jewelry-like quality to his belt buckles and he has taken the craft of Tufa stone casting to a whole new level.

Tufa is compressed rock made of porous volcanic ash used to make high quality cast jewelry.  The Tufa stone is sliced in half and the intricate design is carved into one side and the two halves are then joined back together and molten sterling silver is pored through the sprue hole into the casting cavity. This technique enables very detailed designs and imparts a unique texture from the coarse rock. 

Sedona Indian Jewelry offers some beautiful examples of Ric’s work that exemplify what a master can produce from this technique.  High quality Royston Turquoise, Blue Diamond Turquoise, and Lapis stones are inlaid in polished silver framing that makes them stand out from the color and texture of the traditional Navajo geometric shapes beneath them.  

And a rarity in belt buckles, Ric has cast a design on the reverse depicting the sun, clouds, and buttes of the Arizona desert.  While only a very few people will ever know what is on the back of your belt buckle, this extra measure of detail demonstrates the true artistry of this Ric Charlie’s work.

Hopi Traditions in Silver

Posted on June 22, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Artistic, Handmade, Native American, Silver | Leave a Comment

Hopi and Navajo silversmith Ramon Dalangyawma produces sterling overlay jewelry and belt buckles that reflect his Hopi culture and feature traditional symbols of their clan, including wolves, bears, and antelope.  In an arid high mountain community that grows their own food, their iconography also pays respect to clouds, lightning, and rain as an vital part of their lives.

These gleaming mirror-finished buckles are crafted from silver, considered by the Hopi to be a sacred element of Mother Earth. The traditional tribal technique called sterling overlay is made from two layers of silver where the intricate designs are cut through the top layer which is soldered onto the lower layer which has been tooled for texture and darkened through oxidation to add depth and contrast to the relief.  Each piece is stamped with the artisan’s hallmark DALANGYAWMA representing the Hopi Greasewood clan.

These are beautiful original designs that you can wear proudly in homage to the deeply spiritual Hopi who still follow ancient ways of living, farming their native land, and producing works of art that reflect their traditions.  Or simply because these belt buckles look great!

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