Don Supplee — Hopi Silversmith
Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver, a register of Hopi smiths and their hallmarks, counts Don Supplee among two Hopi brothers "producing exquisite modern pieces" (Wright 2003, p. 65). Wright records that he learned from Charles Supplee and Roy Talaheftewa and began silverwork in 1989 (Wright 2003, p. 102).
Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists him as Hopi/French, born in 1965 and active since 1989, and describes his work as "Modern. Inlay; silver, gold; coral" (Hougart 2022, p. 300).
Mike Ryan II and Philip Chambless, in Turquoise in America, Part Two, show a Kenneth Begay watch bracelet from the 1950s "repurposed with Godber Burnham in a Don Supplee bezel" (Ryan and Chambless 2020, p. 309).
His hallmark
Wright labels his mark "Flute Player & Name" (Wright 2003, p. 102). Hougart gives his marks as "A flute player and SUPPLEE; Supplee (script; very small, stylized)" (Hougart 2022, p. 300).
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References
- Wright, Margaret Nickelson. Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing. Revised edition. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks: Silversmiths, Designers, Guilds and Traders. 5th edition. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
- Ryan, Mike, II, and Philip Chambless. Turquoise in America, Part Two: 1910–1990. Callais Press, 2020.
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and compiled from published references. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.