Del Fred Masawytewa — Hopi Silversmith
Hallmark documented in: Hougart, Wright (Hopi Silver). Rendered from the documented mark, not a photograph.
Del Fred Masawytewa is a Hopi silversmith active since the 1990s. The Hougart record documents his work in nugget work, carved stones, and cobblestone and channel inlay — a varied technical range that includes both stone-setting and sculptural stone-carving practices.
Del Fred Masawytewa is the brother of Darren and Gary Masawytewa, placing him within a sibling group of Hopi silversmiths who share the Masawytewa family name. His mark variants, which incorporate a bear paw symbol, are characteristic of Hopi pictographic hallmarking traditions.
The Mark
“D M (with or without a bear paw); M (inside a bear paw)”
— Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022).
Two mark variants are recorded: the initials D M with or without an accompanying bear paw, and the letter M enclosed within a bear paw. Both variants use the bear paw as a recurring pictographic element alongside the artist's initials.
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- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Schiffer Publishing, 2022.