Vintage Man in the Maze Sterling Silver Overlay Earrings for Women, Native American Indian Tohono O'odham

Sorry, this item has sold.

These vintage sterling silver earrings are made via a method called "silver overlay," in which one piece of silver is cut out with the image and laid over a second silver foundation. That might not sound terribly complex, but then you realize that the image depicted is Iʼitoi, or Man in the Maze, a powerful and ancient indigenous symbol. Before we get into the meaning of Man in the Maze, look closely at all the photos, for you will how precise and skillful the artist was, in slicing away such thin arcs. None of it was laser cut--it was all cut by hand, and you can see the beautiful variation of a cut by hand piece. Some lines waver ever so slightly. The widths are not exact. It is truly beautiful. And then we explore what Man in the Maze means, and particularly for the Tohono O'odham peoples. Man in the Maze shows a human figure at the entrance to a maze that has only one path. As told by Native American Alfretta Antone, from the Tohono O'odham tribe:

"... when you look at the maze you start from the top and go into the maze ... your life, you go down and then you reach a place where you have to turn around ... maybe in your own life you fall, something happens in your home, you are sad, you pick yourself up and you go on through the maze ... you go on and on and on ... so many places in there you might ... maybe your child died ... or maybe somebody died, or you stop, you fall and you feel bad ... you get up, turn around and go again ... when you reach that middle of the maze ... that's when you see the Sun God and the Sun God blesses you and say you have made it ... that's where you die.

The maze is a symbol of life ... happiness, sadness ... and you reach your goal ... there's a dream there, and you reach that dream when you get to the middle of the maze ... that's how I was told, my grandparents told me that's how the maze is."

The earrings measure just over 1-1/4" in diameter and have on the back an ear wire that threads through the ear. So they look almost like posts yet have the flex of an ear wire, which I think is important for what is not a small earring and one of substance. The silver carries a beautiful patina, and on the back of one earring is the hallmark of a Hopi artist--Hopi hallmarks are often pictographs, as this one is--as well as a STERLING stamp. In good condition.

The perfect earrings for the person who in transition, looking ahead at life--perhaps graduation, marriage, retirement. Because Man in the Maze is for losing your way, finding your way, knowing the way of life.


*************

Please convo with questions, or call (505) 369-6865. Will return your call as soon as possible.

*************

For More Native American Earrings: http://bit.ly/2FyZ8wy
Native American Rings: http://bit.ly/2HQXwyY
Native Bracelets and Watches: https://bit.ly/2NpeypL
Native Necklaces, Pendants, and Pins: http://bit.ly/2ESs4Tf
Native Belts and Bolos: http://bit.ly/2oz2XKp
All items: https://romaarellano.com

Shipping from United States

Processing time

1-3 business days

Estimated shipping times

  • North America : 4 - 12 weeks
  • Europe : 6 - 16 weeks
  • Australia, New Zealand and Oceania : 6 - 16 weeks
  • Asia Pacific : 6 - 16 weeks
  • Latin America and the Caribbean : 6 - 16 weeks

I'll do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but can't guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the shipping method you choose.

Customs and import taxes

Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.

Payment Options

Secure options
  • Accepts Etsy gift cards

Returns & Exchanges

I gladly accept returns and cancellations

Just contact me within: 14 days of delivery

Ship items back to me within: 30 days of delivery

  • Custom or personalized orders
  • Conditions of return

    Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.

    Privacy policy

    This Privacy Policy describes how and when your data are collected and used when you purchase an item from this shop or romaarellano.com, also administered by etsy.com. This Privacy Policy does not apply to the practices of third parties, including Etsy or any third party services you access through Etsy. You can reference the Etsy Privacy Policy to learn more about its privacy practices.

    Etsy or PayPal, depending on which you use, administers payments, and therefore protects your financial per their respective privacy policies. This shop does not have access to credit card or bank details.

    Information Collected by this Shop
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    To fulfill your order, you provide information through Etsy, such as name, email address, postal address, payment information, and details of the product ordered. You may also choose to provide additional personal information regarding the order if you contact the shop directly.

    This shop collects, uses, and shares your information for specific tasks such as:
    • providing services to fulfill your order, to settle disputes should any occur, and provide customer support;
    • when you have provided consent, which you may revoke at any time, by signing up for a mailing list or request detail of future product availability;
    • to comply with a legal obligation or court order or in connection with a legal claim, such as retaining information about your purchases if required by tax law; and
    • as necessary for the purpose of legitimate interests such as Compliance with the Etsy Seller Policy and Terms of Use.

    Information about this shop's customers is necessary to our business. Personal information is used for specific and limited reasons and circumstances, as follows:
    • Information is shared with Etsy as necessary to provide services and comply with obligations under both the Etsy Seller Policy and Etsy Terms of Use.
    • If we sell or merge this business, we may disclose your information as part of that transaction, only to the extent permitted by law.
    • We may collect, use, retain, and share your information if we have a good faith belief that it is reasonably necessary to: (a) respond to legal process or to government requests; (b) enforce my agreements, terms and policies; (c) prevent, investigate, and address fraud and other illegal activity, security, or technical issues; or (d) protect the rights, property, and safety of our customers, or others.

    Data Retention
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    We retain customer personal information only for as long as necessary to provide you with services, as described in this Privacy Policy and to comply with any legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes should any arise, and to enforce agreements. For tax purposes, we generally keep customer data for seven years.

    If you have any questions regarding data privacy, please contact the shop owner via the built-in messaging system. Thank you.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Worldwide Shipping, Processing & Insurance

    • We ship to many parts of the world. On any listing, enter your zip or postal code into the Shipping box to find out if your country is included and how much it will cost. If you find we do not ship to your country, contact us to find out if we might be able to.

    • We ship within 1-3 days of order via USPS, Fed Ex, and UPS. and any order of $100 or more will be insured via third party insurance.

    • Any package valued at $250 or more will require Signature upon delivery. Third Party insurer requires Signature in certain cases, so please do not ask that we ship without Signature as this creates a risk we are not willing to take.

    Returns & Refunds

    • We accept returns. Per our policies, contact us within 14 days of delivery. Return shipping with insurance and tracking is at your expense. We process refunds once the item is returned in the same condition received.

    • If your item arrives damaged, photograph it with packaging so we may make a claim.

    • Returning an item is no fun; contact us before buying to ask questions or request additional photos. I'd rather talk you out of something vs your being disappointed with a purchase!

    • Our top priority is your positive experience with this shop, and our greatest hope is that you LOVE the item purchased!

    Do you do layaways?

    We can work with you on a payment plan with immediate down payment up to two months for full payment.

    Note that layaways past due over 30 days go into default. Once in default the transaction is cancelled and layaway payments are not returnable due to having removed items from the market and losing potential sales.

    Convo to talk about a layaway plan that works for your budget.

    Do you accept offers?

    Please, no offers. We receive so much correspondence daily that we are unable to respond to offer requests.

    We have loyal customers who return again and again and use the repeat customer discount coupon for 10% off. We set fair prices from the get-go. If something is expensive, you know it's good.

    We do run sales occasionally, so watch for those. And we value community. Whether you are a returning customer, Facebook friend, or Instagram follower--our thanks to you is 10% off for supporting this shop. Please go to the About section of the main shop page and click on the social media links. Follow us on one of those platforms, convo to say you've done so and we'll send you the coupon code for 10% off.

    Will you reserve or hold items?

    We do NOT do reserves or holds. Like any business, we use sales proceeds to keep the shop running. We truly can't afford to take items off the market. But even if you have some funds with which to make a down payment, we can do layaway with you. Just convo to say you'd like to do a layaway, and we'll work with you on that route instead of a Hold or Reserve.

    Can you tell me SOLD prices?

    We get correspondance almost daily asking how much certain items are worth or what the price was of items that have sold, and we can no longer respond to these messages.

    Legal imprint