Award-winning Hopi/Laguna jeweler Duane Maktima made these sterling silver earrings with 14kt gold posts. We believe the design is the Palulukon, the Hopi Water Serpent, an intelligent force of nature (more about it below).
The earrings are signed by multi-award winning artist Duane Maktima.
His work is on display at the Smithsonian Institution Museum of the American Indian and fine galleries worldwide. In 2015 he was Artist in Residence at the Denver Art Museum. While his recent work tends to incorporate gemstones, many of his early pieces (like these gorgeous earrings) use sterling and gold to explore traditional native symbols.
Size: 2.5" H x .875" W
The Hopi water serpent, also known as Palölökong or Palulukon, is a plumed, and horned serpent intelligent force of nature central to Hopi culture. It is a master of water and bringer of rain, a sacred being that appears in ceremonies and rituals, like the Snake Dance, where dancers carry effigies to pray for rain, which is vital for their crops. However, mistreatment of the Palölökong can result in natural disasters like earthquakes and drought, and it is also associated with protection and guidance, representing the life-giving properties of water.