In this month's spotlight of Black, Indigenous & People of Color (BIPOC)-owned jewelry businesses I am pleased to share with you the work of silversmith Jonah Hill, creator of Lomayoosi Designs.
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Jonah is a Hopi/Quechan master at tufa casting, cuttlebone casting and silver overlay work, in addition to being a wood-carver, photographer and print maker! But those are just his artistic skills. Jonah is also a river guide, environmental educator and ethnobotanist living in Flagstaff, AZ with his children and wife. I met Jonah when I too lived in Flagstaff. It's a small town, especially if you are a jeweler. He hosted me for an informal tufa carving session where I got to try my hand at casting for the very first time.
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If you are not familiar with tufa or cuttlebone casting, here's a brief summary. Tufa (a porous limestone) and cuttle bone (literally found inside cuttlefish!) are very soft and can be carved with pointed tools to create organic, detailed and textured shapes that cannot be created with traditional metal fabrication. Once the design is carved on one side of the mold along with sufficient venting, it is bound with wire to the other side of the mold and molten silver is poured in. Check out this bracelet below that Jonah carved into a block of tufa and then cast in silver. Then do yourself a favor and peruse his jewelry photos on his Facebook page, where his skills with silver are on full display.
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Jonah's signature River's Edge and Turbulent Waters cuffs below use the overlay technique. These beautifully convey Jonah's connection to water, in his artwork and in his life.
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Don't hesitate to contact Jonah on Instagram or Facebook via DM to inquire about the availability of his work! He is very quick at responding to text, too: 928-380-0056. His website can be found here. In normal years, Jonah can be found at many of the major juried southwest Native American art fairs, such as the Heard Museum show in Phoenix and the Santa Fe Indian Market.
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I'll leave you with these stunning silver corn earrings, perhaps my very favorite design of Jonah's, and a glimpse of his wood carvings, along with a cuff I commissioned from Jonah that I absolutely cherish.
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