Zuni turquoise earrings are not only beautiful to look at, but they are a piece of artwork from the Native American Zuni tribe in New Mexico. The Zuni people have been making this beautiful intricate, inlaid silver jewelry since the 1800’s.
History of Zuni Turquoise Earrings
The Zunis are known for the intricate detail of their beautiful sterling silver, and natural turquoise pieces of jewelry. The turquoise they use to make the Zuni earrings comes from the Sleeping Beauty mine near Globe, Arizona. The turquoise from this mine is known for its solid, light blue color. Because the supply of turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty mine is low, this turquoise is now considered quite rare.
The traditional type of Zuni jewelry is called petit point. Petit point is an artwork in which the turquoise is held in its own silver metal sleeve, known as a bezel. This is very time-consuming. Turquoise earrings are a lasting treasure because of the time and detail that is used in crafting each design. No two sets of earrings will ever be exactly the same. Zuni turquoise earrings are truly unique to the artist who crafted them.
Zuni turquoise earrings are truly a one of a kind artwork. The Zuni turquoise earrings are generally priced by the amount of work and intricate detail that goes into their design. The pricing is not based on the amount of silver and turquoise in the Zuni turquoise earrings.
Zuni earrings may contain colors other than the traditional silver and turquoise. Other colors used in making Zuni earrings can be, red coral, black jet and white mother of pearl. The colors represent red for mother earth and turquoise for father sky. Not only are you purchasing a rare and unique pair of Zuni turquoise earrings, but each pair is inlaid with the beliefs and culture of this ancient tribe.
Many of the Zuni earrings will have designs of symbols such as butterflies or other insects or animals. Each symbol represents a different path in life. If your Zuni turquoise earrings have a dragonfly motif, the Zunis will tell you that the dragonfly carries prayers to the spirit world. How special it would be to own a pair of Zuni earrings with the dragonfly motif.
If you are contemplating a gift for a friend or loved one, the Zuni turquoise earrings would be a very distinct and unique gift. You could purchase the Zuni earrings with the type of motif suitable for your friend. The Zuni turquoise earrings would be a much loved and lasting treasure.