Non-Figural Designs in Zuni Jewelry

Delve into the origins and contemporary interpretations of various styles of non-figural Zuni jewelry designs, including nugget work, cluster work, petit point, needle point, snake eye, and channel work. This groundbreaking study establishes the identities of many Zuni artists from the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, and showcases their turquoise and coral pins, bracelets, bolo ties, and other ornaments. Featured are more than fifteen pieces each by masters, past and present, such as Doris and Warren Ondelacy, Alice and Duane Quam, Fannie Weebothee Ondelacy, Julie Ondelacy Lahi, Lee and Mary Weebothee, Alice Leekya Homer, and Ellen Quandelacy. More than three hundred vibrant color photos reveal subtle variations that indicate each master’s distinctive style. Published here, for the first time, are cluster work bracelets by Leekya Deyuse, the single most famous jeweler in the Southwest, and Dan Simplicio’s nugget work, along with ways to distinguish his from other artists’ works.