6.25" Victor Coochwytewa Hopi Overlay Kopavi- Ram/Corn cuff bracelet sterling silver. Tested and guaranteed solid sterling silver with artists/shop hallmark. Weight and measurements in pictures. Nice bracelet from the last quarter of the 20th century with no issues.
Kopavi‘s partnership with Victor Coochwytewa began in 1974, and in 1976, they opened their shop in Sedona, Arizona, specializing in Hopi gold and silver, featuring Coochwytewa‘s work.
Victor Coochwytewa began creating exceptional overlay work in 1940, learning from Paul Saufkie.
Coochwytewa is credited with the now common practice of texturing the base plate of silver.
His work continually evolved and he learned diamond setting. His work earned many prestigious awards: the Santa Fe Indian Market, the Heard Museum, and the Gallup Inter-Tribal award.
Coochwytewa was named an Arizona Indian Living Treasure in 1994.
This Purple Heart veteran of WWII returned to jewelry making in 1946 after his discharge.
He was the first hopi silversmith to texture the back plate of his pieces which has become a standard in Hopi jewelry.
In the 1970s he began working in gold and diamonds, another genre stretching technique that garnished him many awards from the Heard Museum, Santa Fe Indian Market, The Gallup, and many other competitions. Success did not distract Coochwytewa from life as a traditional Hopi. He tended his cornfields every day, reserving afternoons for jewelry, and said that corn was his work and jewelry was his hobby. He probably spent as much time on his religious duties as on his other activities, and was a religious and cultural leader most of his life. He retired from jewelry making in 2006.
