A world-class jeweler who works primarily in 18 karat gold as well as diamonds, fossilized ivory, colored pearls and other precious stones from foreign places, Verma Nequatewa is a member of the Hopi Butterfly Clan. The artist's distinctive creations are sold under the name of "Sonwai", the Hopi word for beautiful.
The jewelry she creates in her Third Mesa studio, located on a 1.5 million-acre reservation with villages over 800 years old in Northeastern Arizona, is eagerly sought after by private collectors as well as famous institutions such as the Heard Museum of Phoenix and the Northern Arizona museum of Flagstaff. Sonwai was recently commissioned for historical pieces of jewelry, such as the recent Arizona Foundation for Women pins, which were given Elizabeth Doyle, Tipper Gore, and former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Niece of Charles Loloma, the Hopi visionary who revolutionized the look of contemporary North American Indian Jewelry, Sonwai seemed destined for the enviable international reputation she enjoys today. "Since my great aunt, Lovena Ohl, is often credited with discovering Charles, I'm very pleased that the creative 'torch' burns so brightly in the hands of Verma", says Bill Faust. |
