Hopi Sterling Silver Overlay Money Clip by Nathan Fred

1" x 1 7/8"

Artist Nathan Fred learned the Hopi overlay technique at Hopicrafts on Third Mesa. Hopicrafts was started in 1962 in the village of Kykotsmovi at Third Mesa by Emory Sekaquaptewa and his brother. They developed their own designs and employed many talented silversmiths. Nathan’s work has been published in numerous publications. His favorite designs are the Kokopelli, kachinas, the sun and eagles.

Hopi overlay is a distinct Native American silversmithing technique developed in the late 1930s/1940s, featuring two sterling silver layers. The top layer has a hand-cut, intricate design, which is soldered onto a bottom layer that is oxidized (blackened) and textured to create high contrast, resulting in a matte background with a polished foreground.