Probably the best-known Hopi jeweler of the postwar era, Charles Loloma initially trained as a painter and only began working with jewelry in 1955. Working on the Third Mesa of the Hopi Reservation, he achieved consummate mastery of stone selection and arrangement, often using turquoise to set off strong contrasting materials. This impressive pendant depicts a corn maiden – a traditional motif – with sober gravitas. It seems the physical manifestation of his statement, “We are a very serious people and have tried hard to elevate ourselves, but in order to create valid art, you have to be true to yourself and your heritage.”