Zuni silversmithing can be traced back through the old stories to a single Zuni, who in1872, invited a known Navajo silversmith to teach him the craft in exchange for a fine horse. During the period the lessons went on, the Zuni made the Navajo agree to stay indoors, so that their secret would be safe from the neighbors. Early Zuni silver jewelry, resembled Navajo styles, but the Zuni approach to rich detail gave rise soon, to a much more elaborate type of silverwork and stone settings. The beauty of the valley through which the Zuni river flows, is often expressed as the inspiration for the symmetry and detail of Zuni design. The examples offered here use turquoise stones, but coral, mother of pearl and other stones are also used. Most Zuni clusterwork turquoise made recently has been pressure stabilized with synthetic resins to make it easier to cut. Although a few artists still prefer natural stones, this work is usually more expensive.

Varying styles determined by dirrerent artists and their families have also given rise to descriptive terms such as "petite point", "micro-point" and "needlepoint", depending on the cut shape and size of the individual stones. We feature a selection of all of these styles, much too numerous to show here. Visit our two shopping venues to see more...