The Beauty and Uniqueness of the Zuni Necklace
The Zuni are an Native American tribe from the Southwest of the United States. Their predominant location is on the Arizona-New Mexico Border. They are widely known for their unique and high quality craftsmanship in areas such as carvings, mosaics and especially jewelry like the Zuni necklace.
Native American jewelry has been around for centuries, and Zuni jewelry has created quite a stir from many collectors around the globe because of their attention to detail. Much of the Zuni jewelry is crafted with the use of Sterling Silver, shells, coral and Turquoise. One of their more popular pieces of jewelry is the Zuni necklace. In ancient times, Zuni jewelry was a mark of distinction and the Zuni necklace was known to be worn as a sign of great honor. The styles that the Zuni create with their jewelry is multifaceted and intricate. True Zuni jewelry is almost seamless and flawless. This is because the Zuni craft each piece of jewelry individually and take great pride in their workmanship.
In the days of the early settlers, the Zuni were known to have used their jewelry as a form of trade with the settlers. Today, it is still a mainstay of income for many artisans of jewelry within the Zuni tribe. The Zuni necklace today is often quite intricate in detail and can vary in design and bulk with definitive contrasts. There a few predominant materials used in the crafting of most of the Zuni necklace designs. Most include a heavy predominance of Sterling Silver, coral and Turquoise. Some of the more popular Zuni necklace designs include the Cluster Zuni necklace, the Channel Inlay Zuni necklace,and the Overlay Inlay Zuni necklace.
The ClusterZuni Necklace consists of a defined cluster of stones or shells, and can be set almost in a medallion fashion at the base of the Zuni necklace. By contrast, the Channel Inlay Zuni necklace consists of Zuni inlay jewelry consists of channel inlayed stones or shells such as turquoise, corals, shells and other precious metals and stones. The Overlay Inlay Zuni necklace often look like mosaics and usually have a combination of materials such as shells and turquoise that define each piece with uniqueness.
People who have a strong interest in Native American jewelry, and are looking for a getting a finely crafted Zuni necklace are encouraged to confirm and authenticate that the piece they are buying is original and real and not a cheap imitation piece.The best way to ensure that a Zuni necklace is authentic is to take it to a jeweler, and to make sure the quality and attention to detail is intact.
Most often a Zuni necklace will be stamped or signed by the craftsman confirming the workmanship of the piece is real and that it is handcrafted. This is important to ensure the piece will last a long time and will retain its value. Overall, a good quality Zuni necklace will maintain its value over many, many years and often crafters have their work displayed for comparison to ensure that the design of the Zuni necklace is consistent with that of the tribe and the craftsman.