Farron Naka'waywisa — Hopi Silversmith
Hopi silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Farron Naka'waywisa, a Hopi silversmith earlier known as Farron Joseyesva, was profiled in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
Recorded mark: FJ (conjoined), his first mark; later a frog with a tadpole in its belly, his own design (Bahti (2007, p. 121); Hougart (2022)).
From the Library: Bahti, Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers (2007)
A 2007 profile, reviewed and corrected by the artists themselves before publication. Anything described as current describes 2006-2007, not today.
According to Bahti (2007, p. 120), Farron Naka'waywisa was born Farron Lomavitu in 1968, grew up using the surname of Ross Joseyesva, a Hopi Guild-trained silversmith he has called father since age one, and later took Naka'waywisa as his last name. [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 120) reported that he learned silversmithing in a new Hopi Guild class that began in 1991, taught by Hopi smiths including Charleston Lewis and Shannon Lamson, and worked for the Guild until 1994 before working on his own. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 121), his first hallmark was simply "FJ"; later the Guild ordered a hallmark he designed, a frog with a tadpole in its belly. [1]
Speaking to Bahti (2007), Farron Naka'waywisa said:
“I was taught not to copy other people's work”
— Bahti (2007), p. 121 [1]
On his 1995 solar-system bracelet, he told Bahti (2007):
“I knew no one was making planets, so I tried one out in a bracelet in 1995”
— Bahti (2007), p. 121 [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 121) noted that his first gold piece, in 1998, was a silver ring with a 14-karat gold sun in the center, and that his work later moved from planets and stars to oceans and dolphins. [1]
Sources
- Bahti, Mark. Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers. Tucson: Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2007. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2007.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2022. Cited for the recorded hallmark.
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