Zuni Pueblo Multi-stone Magpie Ring [SOLD]

Artists from Zuni Pueblo have been known for hundreds of years as fine lapidary craftsmen.  Zuni mosaic work originated from the prehistoric tradition of setting cut and polished stone and shell onto wood or shell backings by using piñon pitch. Laborers who assisted in the Heye Foundation archaeological excavation of the pueblo of Hawikuh (including Leo Poblano and Teddy Weahkee) in the 1920s were inspired by some of the artifacts they discovered and are thought to have revived shell mosaic work by 1930 and possibly as early as 1920. It was during this time that trader C. G. Wallace bought the trading post at Zuni and began encouraging Zuni artists to create jewelry comprised of intricately cut pieces of stone and shell-channel inlay, mosaic inlay, petit-point and needlepoint.  

Lucy Ceshu was a Zuni jeweler who worked with her husband Quincy Panteah to create high quality stone-to-stone inlay. The multi-stone inlay magpie is her signature design. This lovely magpie ring is a testament to Ceshu’s talent as a lapidary artist. The bird’s head is black jet and white shell. The body consists of precisely cut pieces of turquoise, coral, jet and white shell. Within the white shell she placed small slivers of jet. All of the stonework was set in fine  handmade sawtooth bezels. Silver balls were added as accents on the ends of the beak and feathers. The piece is unsigned, but the work is distinctively that of Lucy Ceshu.

Condition: The Zuni Pueblo Multi-stone Magpie Ring is in very good condition. The mosaic work is intact.

Provenance: The ring is from the collection of a daughter of the Balcomb family who owned art galleries in New Mexico and Arizona.

Recommended Reading: Zuni Jewelry by Theda Bassman

Related Links: jewelry, Lucy Ceshu, Zuni Pueblo, ring, C. G. Wallace