Zuni
American Southwest
1995
Sterling silver, spiny oyster shell, and turquoise
Necklace length 18 in / 46 cm, pendant 2 3/4 in / 7 cm
118.82 grams
Signed
Provenance: Private collection, Las Vegas, New Mexico
This Zuni necklace by Roger Tsabetsaye strings spiny oyster shell and turquoise rondelles in a single strand, closing at a silver clasp fitted with the maker's tag. The pendant is a carved spiny oyster shell disc, its ribbed red orange face channel inlaid with turquoise across the top. It hangs from a teardrop turquoise cabochon set in a stamped silver bail.
The inlaid shell and turquoise pendant departs from traditional Zuni cluster and needlepoint work, reflecting the modernist direction Tsabetsaye is known for. The warm red of the spiny oyster is set against blue green turquoise, carried through both the pendant and the beaded strand. At 18 inches with a 2 3/4 inch pendant, it wears as a short necklace centered on the shell disc.
Made by Roger Tsabetsaye, a Zuni Pueblo master jeweler who began making jewelry in 1962 and was among the first students at the Institute of American Indian Arts when it opened that year. He studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology on a scholarship and trained under the renowned jeweler Charles Loloma, whose modernist influence carries through his work. Tsabetsaye is also a painter and a tribal leader, and his jewelry was once commissioned by President Lyndon Johnson for a necklace gifted to the Queen of the Netherlands. His sister, Edith Tsabetsaye, is internationally known for her Zuni needlepoint jewelry.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Zuni
American Southwest
1995
Sterling silver, spiny oyster shell, and turquoise
Necklace length 18 in / 46 cm, pendant 2 3/4 in / 7 cm
118.82 grams
Signed
Provenance: Private collection, Las Vegas, New Mexico
This Zuni necklace by Roger Tsabetsaye strings spiny oyster shell and turquoise rondelles in a single strand, closing at a silver clasp fitted with the maker's tag. The pendant is a carved spiny oyster shell disc, its ribbed red orange face channel inlaid with turquoise across the top. It hangs from a teardrop turquoise cabochon set in a stamped silver bail.
The inlaid shell and turquoise pendant departs from traditional Zuni cluster and needlepoint work, reflecting the modernist direction Tsabetsaye is known for. The warm red of the spiny oyster is set against blue green turquoise, carried through both the pendant and the beaded strand. At 18 inches with a 2 3/4 inch pendant, it wears as a short necklace centered on the shell disc.
Made by Roger Tsabetsaye, a Zuni Pueblo master jeweler who began making jewelry in 1962 and was among the first students at the Institute of American Indian Arts when it opened that year. He studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology on a scholarship and trained under the renowned jeweler Charles Loloma, whose modernist influence carries through his work. Tsabetsaye is also a painter and a tribal leader, and his jewelry was once commissioned by President Lyndon Johnson for a necklace gifted to the Queen of the Netherlands. His sister, Edith Tsabetsaye, is internationally known for her Zuni needlepoint jewelry.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
