Gerald now has an International following after having attended and presented at the Hopi & Zuni Artist Show in Japan for the past several years. The purpose of this show is not only to show and sell authentic Hopi and Zuni arts; but also to educate people about "Fake" or "Imitation" Native American arts and crafts in the global market especially in Japan. Gerald says of the impact on counterfeit art, "the Hopi Nation is a small tribe and more than half of the population is self-employed. They make a living with their artwork. When we were learning the overlay technique the older silversmiths would tell us we have to make jewelry with meaning. Imitation and fake are hurting our economy."

With this experience, Gerald is working to bring other Hopi Silversmiths together to guide them in the "business and marketing" end of their craft.

COIN INGOT BRACELETS

Hopi Silversmith, Gerald Lomaventema works in the typical overlay technique associated with Hopi jewelry making, but has often ventured into other creative and sometimes experimental methods of silver working. One of the areas of interest he is exploring is historical..the very early methods and styles of Hopi silversmithing.

The first source of silver for the Hopis was coinage. Silver coins were melted and cast into ingots. The ingots were then worked with typical metal working tools of the time, not dissimilar to blacksmithing tools, but smaller in scale. The ingots were hand forged or beaten into shapes and sheets which were used in jewelry making. The earliest pieces were simply one piece of silver, formed and decorated with designs made by stamping the item with hand crafted decorative stamps. Unlike today, each piece was polished by hand using locally available materials. No buffing machines. The resultant item had less of an intense shine than today, but rather had a deeper luster which provided a warmer look and feel to the piece.