Zuni Turquoise Sterling Silver Pendant
Zuni Turquoise Sterling Silver Pendant with Inlay Stones
The Zuni Indians are famous for their Jewelry - The Zuni Indians started Jewelry around 1872, the Navajo smith Atsidi Chon, who traded frequently with the Zuni for livestock, taught a Zuni blacksmith named Lanyade the skill of silversmithing. Much of the earliest Zuni silver jewelry was essentially identical to Navajo work.
Early Zuni pieces were plain, hand-wrought silver occasionally decorated with simple die-stamping or rocker engraving. Around 1890 they began to include turquoise in their work, as had their Navajo neighbors. Until about 1920, the Zuni fashioned jewelry primarily for themselves and other native peoples. By 1930, the Zuni were creating much of their jewelry for tourists. Within ten years, jewelry making had become a major source or revenue.
The emphasis on small stone work and inlay work began to emerge in the 1920s, developing partly from a revival of prehistoric designs. Today, this style of jewelry, needlepoint, petit point, and inlay is most strongly associated with the Zuni jewelry making tradition. You can find more information about Zuni Indian history here!
Zuni Turquoise Sterling Silver Pendant with Petit-point and needle-point are identified by tiny turquoise stones each supported in its own bezel. It’s extremely time consuming to make and is very delicate in appearance.
Zuni Needle Point Pendant examples
Zuni Petit Point Pendant examples
The other type of
Zuni Turquoise Sterling Silver Pendant / Jewelry is called inlay. Here again, stones are worked and then fit together, sometimes side by side, or with silver channels in between them, known as channel inlay. Each piece is meticulously fabricated; the Zunis do not cast the silver. The predominant colors and stones used in traditional Zuni inlay are turquoise, coral, jet, and white mother of pearl. Symbolically red represents the Mother Earth, and turquoise Father Sky. The black and white of the other stones is a further representation of dualities.
Zuni Inlaid Pendant examples
Zuni Pictorial Inlay Pendant examples
