Fernando Puhuhefvaya — Hopi Silversmith
Fernando Puhuhefvaya learned at the Guild, Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver, a register of Hopi smiths and their hallmarks, records, and began silverwork at Shungopavi in 1989 (Wright 2003, p. 102).
Two of his pins, one of a snake and one of corn, appear in Theda Bassman's The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry (Bassman 1993, p. 35). Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists him as Hopi, active since the 1980s, working in overlay that "may have stone sets," with sun-face designs among his work (Hougart 2022, p. 256).
His hallmark
Wright labels his mark "Snow Cloud", drawn with his name (Wright 2003, p. 102). Hougart gives his marks as "Puhuhefvaya (and a snow cloud symbol); snow cloud" (Hougart 2022, p. 256).
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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.
- Bassman, Theda. The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry. Photography by Gene Balzer. Walnut, California: Kiva Publishing, 1993.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks: Silversmiths, Designers, Guilds and Traders. 5th edition. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
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.