Zuni Indian Jewelry
Zuni silversmiths are known for their lapidary and jewelry making skills.
Channel inlay, cluster and needlepoint are traditional Zuni jewelry styles.
by Donna Bunnell
The Zuni Indians learned to silversmith from the Navajo in the early 1870’s. The Zuni Indians, because they had permanent homes unlike the nomadic Navajo Indians, were able to use many tools that the Navajo could not easily carry with them. Using the lapidary wheels they began cutting stones and using the silver to hold their stones in patterns.
Today, Zuni silversmiths are known for their lapidary skills. Channel inlay (using precisely cut stones set on silver to form figures and designs), cluster and needlepoint (setting small, similarly cut stones in geometric patterns) are traditional Zuni jewelry styles. Their beautiful jewelry is known worldwide by these traditional Native American Styles. The Zuni Pueblo is located in New Mexico, Land of Enchantment.
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