Lg GARY & SERENA BENTEAH Zuni BELT BUCKLE American Bison Sterling Silver GARETT

Garett Gary & Serena Benteah - Zuni. Traditional Hopi Overlay Technique Belt Buckle. 3.0" X 2.1".

Will accept a belt of up to 1.5. 41.6 grams = 1.32 Troy ounces. This Buckle was made by a talented Zuni artist couple. It is properly Hallmarked on the reverse, "GSB Sterling", and it is guaranteed to be Sterling Silver.

Gary and Serena made animal themed jewelry from 1978 until 1994. It seems to be the picture of a perfect day for grazing. This buckle is in very good condition. There are no cracks, dents, or noticeable scratches, etc. In the Buckle's Sterling Silver.

Hopi Silver and "Overlay Technique". In the book HOPI SILVER... Referenced below, Margaret Wright describes how Hopi silver is made and the post WWII history of its development in particular. She describes the 6 main steps in the creation of Hopi jewelry as we have come to know it. "A tracing design; b sawing design; c soldering design to backing; d texturing background; e filing to remove discoloration; f buffing". I like her simple description comparing "overlay" to making cookie dough and using a cookie cutter to cut out stars, and then placing one layer of the dough with the cutouts on top of another (without cutouts) and then baking them. This Zuni Buckle was made using the Hopi "Overlay" technique, where two sheets of Sterling Silver are fused together. This enabled the artist to create the appearance that the surface had been carved out with the wonderful design that you see in the pictures. You may want to take a look at the textured "Matt" or background area.

For half a century or so, this has almost always been decorated in this subtle way by Hopi artists. I think that this provides an insight into the personality of the artist.. It is simple and elegant.

In this case, the Zuni artists left some areas plain black and stamped other areas with more dramatic effect. As the Navajo say, "Walk in Beauty". I thank You and look forward to sharing a good experience! "AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY I" - Gregory Schaaf Page 189. "AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY II: M-Z" Page. "HALLMARKS OF THE SOUTHWEST"- Barton Wright - Page 89. THE LITTLE BOOK OF SOUTHWESTERN SILVER - Billie Hougart Page 174. "ZUNI JEWELRY" - Theda and Michael Bassman. "ZUNI THE ART AND THE PEOPLE VOLUMES 1-3" - Barbara & Ed Bell- Volume.

"KNIFEWING AND RAINBOW MAN IN ZUNI JEWELRY". "HOPI SILVER THE HISTORY AND HALLMARKS OF HOPI SILVERMAKING" Margaret Wright - Pages. 40-42, 50-54 (general observations about the history of techniques and Hopi Guild formation). The item "Lg GARY & SERENA BENTEAH Zuni BELT BUCKLE American Bison Sterling Silver GARETT" is in sale since Tuesday, May 12, 2020.

This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Ethnic, Regional & Tribal\Native American\Other Native American Jewelry"." and is located in Tucson, Arizona. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Costa rica, Dominican republic, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, El salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Turks and caicos islands, Bangladesh, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Paraguay, Uruguay, Russian federation, South africa, Colombia, Antigua and barbuda, Saint lucia, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman islands, Sri lanka, Maldives, Oman, Reunion.

Featured Refinements: Native American Belt Buckle
Modified Item: No
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Ethnic Origin: Native American
Metal Purity: .
925
Artisan: Gary & Serena Benteah
Main Stone: No Stone
Metal: Sterling Silver
Jewelry Type: Belt Buckles
Tribal Affiliation: Zuni
Clasp Type: Buckle