Description:

18K yellow gold Verma Nequatewa "Sonwai" Hopi Native American coral, lapis, and turquoise cuff bracelet.
29.4DWT
The purchase of gold requires confirmed funds.
Provenance: From the Estate of Rita B. Grunwald

MAKER: Verma Nequatewa, "Sonwai" at Third Mesa, (Hopi, Native American, b. 1949)
Biography from Mahnaz Collection, New York: Verma Nequatewa is a Hopi master jeweler. She was born in 1949 in the same place where she currently lives and works - at Hotevilla, a village on Third Mesa, a part of the Hopi reservation near Holbrook, Arizona. Sonwai began her career as an apprentice for her uncle, the artist and master jeweler Charles Loloma, from 1966- 1986. Since her uncle's passing in 1991, Nequatewa has brought her own special look and feminine qualities to her jewelry. She works under the artistic name Sonwai,which means "Beautiful", the feminine counterpart to Loloma in the Hopi language. Nequatewa works primarily and very precisely in 18 karat gold and uses only the finest quality stones, including coral, turquoise, lapis lazuli, opal, charolite, ironwood and sugilite as well as diamonds, colored pearls and fossilized ivory. She has continued Loloma's legacy of creating remarkable inlay bracelets inspired by the rocky landscape of her birth place. Her jewelry is known for its sense of color and perfect finishes. Nequatewa creates her elegant jewelry for private collectors and museum institutions around the world, including the Northern Arizona museum of Flagstaff and the Heard Museum of Native Arts and Cultures in Phoenix which hosted her first retrospective exhibition "Sonwai: The Jewelry of Verma Nequatewa" in October 2018.

  • Dimensions: 1/2"H x 2 1/8"Inner Diameter x 1"W opening 4 3/4" entire inner circumference

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

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September 8, 2025 3:00 PM EDT
Indianapolis, IN, US

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $49 $5
$50 $99 $10
$100 $199 $20
$200 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $2,999 $100
$3,000 $4,999 $200
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $29,999 $1,000
$30,000 + $2,500