Zuni Pueblo artisans are known for fine stone work placed in delicate sterling settings. This pair of earrings is an excellent example of traditional Southwest Indian Jewelry from Zuni Pueblo. The unknown artist has set turquoise, white shell and jet to form a pair of perfect little sun faces set in a sterling silver setting. This pair is unique in that the artist has added slender silver earrings on the side of each face.

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United Indian Traders Association (UITA) was formed in 1931 to insure quality craftsmanship in Native American art. The association had strict rules regarding the methods used to make jewelry. A UITA stamp was a guarantee the piece was hand made by a member of an enrolled tribe. Traders paid dues and each post had its own number. UITA 21 was the number for the Santa Fe store owned by trader Julius Gans. Thus, we are able to identify that this Southwest Indian Jewelry piece was made and sold originally in Santa Fe. 

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The exquisite stamp work on this butterfly pin mimics the wings of a real butterfly. The unknown Navajo artist has used a variety of stamps to form life-like wings. An oval piece of natural turquoise sits between the wings and is set upon a sterling cylinder. At the top of the cylinder, the artist has stamped a friendly face, adding a human dimension to the Southwest Indian Jewelry pin. As a final touch, long strands of silver compose a pair of long antennae.  It is a beautifully crafted piece, a great addition to anyone who wants to add a fine piece of mid-century Navajo stamped jewelry to their collection.

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This three-strand necklace is made of deep red glass beads, small turquoise beads and old silver dimes and quarters. The oldest coin is dated 1892 and the most recent is a 1910 silver dime. All of the coins are Barber coins. Barber dimes, quarters and halves were only minted between 1892 and 1916. They were named after the Mint engraver who designed them, Charles E. Barber. The glass beads are most likely European made.  Pueblo women used European beads frequently in the early twentieth century.

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The history of pottery vessels from Cochiti Pueblo is more of an early 20th century phenomenon than earlier.  Collections made for the Smithsonian in 1880 were almost void of ollas and bowls but consisted of figurines and effigy vessels.  Why did Cochiti potters not make ollas, storage jars, and bowls?  Apparently they preferred to get them from Acoma, Zia and Zuni Pueblos-pueblos with stronger vessels and with more interesting designs than that which was traditional at Cochiti?  Perhaps Cochiti potters appreciated the beauty of pottery from the other pueblos or perhaps making figurative pottery was so ingrained in the culture, that it had become a way of life for Cochiti potters. 

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Rafael Medina (Teeyacheena) was born at Zia Pueblo and was educated at Zia Day School, Albuquerque Indian School and Santa Fe Indian School.  Much of his work bears the influence of Santa Fe Indian School founder Dorothy Dunn, who taught her students the traditional "flat style" for which many of them became well known.  These two paintings are clearly rooted in that style but also expand upon it, adding dimension, depth and color to the familiar profile of a Zia Deer Dancer.

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Luis Gonzales painted actively in the late 1920s but an accident that caused the loss of his right hand caused him to cease painting in the 1960s.  His short career resulted in production of fewer paintings of any of the group of artists from San Ildefonso.  There were few painted during his career and fewer on the market today.

The northern pueblos were influenced by Plains Indian culture and often painted images of Plains Indians wearing feathered head bonnets.  This painting is a good example of such an event.  The warrior appears to be dancing, his right leg up, and his arm in motion.  It is quite likely that he is a San Ildefonso dancer and he is performing a dance relating to the Plains culture.  San Ildefonso and other northern New Mexico pueblos perform a Comanche Dance on a regular basis. 

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It appears that small jars, such as this one, that are totally slipped in white clay date to the late 1800s.  No specific dates are provided in Harlow and Lanmon's book entitled The Pottery of Zuni Pueblo but examples of small pottery vessels with white slip are dated in the 1880-1890 decade, when illustrated in the book.  We are therefore dating this jar circa 1880s.

The bottom of the vessel is slightly rounded with no concave depression.  The rim rolls out from the neck and is painted brown.  The entire vessel was slipped in white clay and decorated with mineral brown and red colors.  Red is at a minimum on the body of the jar but appears in abundance in the neck design.

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Traditional Pueblo pottery jars have been converted into table lamps since the 1930s.  They were very popular in Santa Fe homes, some homes having several lamps from various pueblos.  This lamp was made from a traditional Acoma olla that probably dates to the 1940s.  The base of the olla is covered by the attached wooden base so there is no way to conveniently determine if the olla is signed or not.

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This is a traditionally-made serving bowl from Zia Pueblo, created most likely in the mid-20th century.  This excellent medium-size bowl was coil-formed of native clay with the addition of crushed basaltic temper. The underbody's bare paste was stone-polished to a warm brick-red color. The design field was covered in traditional cream slip over which the design of geometric elements was painted. The rim of the bowl curves inward just so slightly and displays a very slight concave slope. 

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One of the strongest decorative elements in historic Kewa pottery is a black rectangular element that forms an unpainted circle.  The circle appears to be the design but it is achieved by painting around it with black vegetal paint.  Another favorite design placed on bowls consists of black triangles arranged in the shape of a star.  This bowl is the first I've seen that features both of those elements.  

This is an excellent example of the finest work from Santo Domingo in the early 20thcentury. The black guaco paint is strong and applied in even strokes.  The formation of the circles in the design is precise.  The bowl has an excellent patina, both inside and outside.

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Many Native artists contributed to celebrating the 200th anniversary of the United States by producing Navajo blankets, beadwork, basketry and pottery featuring an American flag or a reference to 1776. Santana Melchor (ca.1889-1978) and her granddaughter, Darlene (ca.1950s-), produced this Black-on-red jar featuring an American flag with 76 in the stars and 76 painted on the Liberty Bell. The artists co-signed the underside of the jar. 

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In the 1960s, when the Balcomb family operated an art gallery in Gallup, New Mexico, at 915 West Coal Avenue, Mrs. Balcomb, the family matriarch, signed a contract with Pablita Velarde (1918-2006) Tse Tsan - Golden Dawn for the Balcomb's to make silkscreen prints from four of Pablita's original mineral earth paintings. The four selected paintings were a single Koosa Clown figure, a single Mudhead Katsina figure, a pair of Koosa Clowns and a pair of Mudhead Katsinas.

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In the 1960s, when the Balcomb family operated an art gallery in Gallup, New Mexico, at 915 West Coal Avenue, Mrs. Balcomb, the family matriarch, signed a contract with Pablita Velarde (1918-2006) Tse Tsan - Golden Dawn for the Balcomb's to make silkscreen prints from four of Pablita's original mineral earth paintings.  The four selected paintings were a single Koosa Clown figure, a single Mudhead Katsina figure, a pair of Koosa Clowns and a pair of Mudhead Katsinas.

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Concha belts with several silver conchas are often made smaller to fit a person by removing one or more of the conchas.  That is the story of this single concha.  It was removed from a concha belt and put in a drawer for safekeeping and has recently been discovered. 

It is a beautiful oval sterling concha in the first phase style with leather backing.  There is stamping near the outer edge and the edge is scalloped.  This concha could easily be converted to a handsome belt buckle.

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This beautiful green turquoise miniature bear fetish has been wrapped in wire to facilitate use as a pendant.  The formation of such a small fetish is amazing.  The carving was executed with great care.

The fetish has been stored for years in a small container with yellow corn pollen.  That is a traditional manner in which they are stored and ceremonially fed by Zuni persons.  Corn Pollen and Cornmeal can be a blessing for protection, understanding and forgiveness.  White corn is thought, by the Navajo, to be male, yellow corn is female and could have a similar meaning for the Pueblo people, but that has not been confirmed by us.

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Navajo silversmiths crafted jewelry and other silver objects to appeal to the tastes of the traveling adventurer. A popular non-jewelry item was the letter opener.

There are various methods of producing silver objects. One method is sand casting or, more properly, tufa casting. A mold was made out of tufa and molten silver was then poured into the mold. After the silver cooled, the piece was taken out and polished.  Finally, finishing touches, such as the addition of stones and stamp work, were added.

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This pair of Navajo-made silver and turquoise earrings is fitted with clips but could easily be converted for pierced ears if desired.  The main item of the earrings is the rectangular silver sheet with four domed turquoise cabs set along its center line.  Three silver dangles drop from the base.  The clip portion of the set has a single stone set as the center piece of the round silver disc.

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Rather than classify this as a silver and turquoise ring, perhaps it is more appropriate to classify it as a turquoise ring mounted on silver because the turquoise cab is the predominant item of view.  The stone is magnificent-an equal amount of copper matrix and turquoise.  The stone is oval and domed and set in a plain silver bezel mounted on a silver disc with silver dots around the perimeter.  The shank is split into two branches as it approaches the top of the ring.  

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Navajo jewelers were skilled in using elegant silver settings to highlight the beauty of turquoise stones. This cluster ring has eight high grade turquoise stones surrounding a larger middle stone. The depth and color of the stones are the focal points of the ring. The unknown Navajo artist has set these stones in perfectly crafted saw-tooth bezels with a tiny silver drop between each stone. Between the center stone and the surrounding stones is a fine twisted silver wire. The uniqueness of each individual stone shines through as a result of the well-designed silver setting. The Southwest Indian Jewelry ring is probably from the 1940s era.

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