Vernon Talas — Hopi Silversmith
Vernon Talas came to silver with a blacksmith's hands. Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver, a register of Hopi smiths and their hallmarks, records that he "Had done blacksmithing before, so he made his own tools and some for others in the class" (Wright 2003, p. 80).
That class was the Hopi G.I. Bill silver training. Wright dates his start to 1948 (Wright 2003, p. 80), and Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks places him in "the 1949-1951 Hopi GI Bill class" (Hougart 2022, p. 303). Margery Bedinger's Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers shows a bracelet he made in 1949 (Bedinger 1973, p. 203), and Theda Bassman's The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry shows a bow guard from 1950, his silver with leather tooling by Garland Starlie (Bassman 1993, p. 3).
Hougart lists him as Hopi, working in overlay in silver and copper, and active from the late 1940s until his death in 1985 (Hougart 2022, p. 303), the year Wright also gives (Wright 2003, p. 80).
His hallmark
Wright labels his mark "Pipe" (Wright 2003, p. 80). Hougart lists two marks, "A tobacco leaf" and "a pipe," and notes the leaf may appear with a Hopi Guild mark (Hougart 2022, p. 303).
Own a piece with this mark, or know more about this artist? Contact T.Skies.
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.
- Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1973.
- Bassman, Theda. The Beauty of Hopi Jewelry. Photography by Gene Balzer. Walnut, California: Kiva Publishing, 1993.
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.