Preston Monongye (Hopi) (1927-1987) Tufa Cast Rose Gold Channel inlay bracelet. Fits up to a 6 3/8" wrist, tapers from 20mm to 30mm wide. One of a kind
bracelet, extremely rare example in gold. Preston Monongye did not work in a lot
of gold, very few pieces have come to market ever, when they do they are crazy
expensive. I personally had this machine tested on a $30,000+ XRF machine and it
ranges from 40-43% gold (Averaging about 10k) which actually makes perfect
sense. Since P Monongye didn't work with a lot of gold, the times he did were
likely somewhat experimental. In this case it is somewhat obvious that he melted
up some scrap gold, likely some that was brought to him by a customer or friend
to make this which was likely a custom piece. The lowest gold content shot we
took showed it at 48.13% copper, 40.08% gold, 8.18% silver, 3.49% zinc, and .12%
Nickel.Preston Monongye (1927-1987) was an influential proponent of what he
called “the new Indian art.” He wrote, “We may use old techniques, along with
old designs taken from potsherds or pictographs, but then we redesign them or
add innovations of our own.”Preston had an unconventional and late blossoming
path to jewelry making. He served in two wars, worked in law enforcement, and
was an employee for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It was later in life that he
decided to dedicate himself full time to jewelry making, which was received
numerous awards. He had always experimented with jewelry and craftsmanship, but
did not receive acclaim until fully committing to his art. Preston primarily did
the metalwork and design for his pieces, letting his friend and acclaimed
lapidary artist Lee Yazzie do the inlay, and later allowing his son Jesse
Monongye to do his lapidary work. His pieces are exhibited nationwide.Born in
East Los Angeles, California, to Mexican and Mission Indian parents, Monongye
was adopted by a Hopi family at age seven. He was raised Hopi, speaking the Hopi
language and participating in the Katsina Society. At age nine, Monongye began
apprenticeship with his uncle, the master silversmith and painter Gene Pooyama.
“He taught me how to live the ‘Hopi way,'” Monongye recalled. Throughout his
career, Hopi colors and images were prominent in Monongye’s work.But Monongye
was adamant that Native jewelry not be bound by the past, explaining, “An old
piece of philosophy given to me by my father and other men of the Hopi Mesas is,
‘If you can progress without hurting your tradition or your , you should do
so.”Born in 1927, in Los Angeles he was abandoned at Hopi at age seven and
adopted by a prominent Hopi family. Monongye attended reservation schools and
became a full participant in Hopi and social life. Following his service as a
paratrooper in World War II, Monongye became a Kachina painter, working
occasionally for trader Roman Hubbell and the Fred Harvey Company. Monongye
re-enlisted during the Korean War and later worked in law enforcement for the
Bureau of Indian Affairs while continuing to paint and make silver jewelry.
After leaving his job in favor of jewelry making in the early 1960s, Monongye
quickly became recognized as an innovative designer and technician, immersing
himself in “the new Indian art,” using traditional techniques and motifs to
create a contemporary new look. He was best known for cast silver set with
stones that often were cut by his friend Lee Yazzie, and later by his son Jesse.
Monongye taught his art at various schools and workshops and lectured widely on
contemporary Native design. He won many awards at shows and competitions and his
jewelry appears in museum collections such as the Museum of Northern Arizona in
Flagstaff and the Wheelwright Museum in Santa Fe.
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