Dragonfly - Sterling Silver Kingman Turquoise, Onyx & Spiny Oyster Pendant - 1.5x1.75 in.

Master lapidaries of the Southwest — Zuni needlepoint, petit point, channel inlay, and carved fetishes where the stone, not the silver, leads.

Zuni artistry is inseparable from Zuni religious and communal life. The animal forms rendered in fetish carving correspond to the directional guardians and beings of A:shiwi cosmology — the six directions, each with its color and its protector — and fetishes hold a place in Zuni spiritual practice that long predates their making for sale. The pieces offered to the public are made with care to honor, rather than expose, what remains sacred. The Zuni have sustained their ceremonial calendar — including the great Shalako observance — through centuries of outside pressure, and adornment plays its part in that ceremonial life. Jewelry-making, meanwhile, became a cornerstone of the pueblo's economy in the twentieth century, and today a large share of Zuni households practice some aspect of the craft. Lapidary skill at Zuni is typically a family inheritance. Households often specialize — one family known for needlepoint, another for inlay, another for fetish carving — with techniques and standards passed from one generation to the next at the workbench. Humiovi honors the spiritual and familial dimension of Zuni work, presenting these pieces as the achievements of named artisans and living lineages, not as anonymous craft. This concentration of skill has made Zuni one of the most artistically productive communities in the Native world, with a depth of specialized knowledge — the cutting of a particular bezel, the carving of a particular fetish form, the fitting of a particular inlay — that is genuinely rare and not easily replaced. When that knowledge passes from a parent to a child at the bench, an entire body of technique and judgment moves with it. To buy authentic Zuni jewelry is, in a direct sense, to support the continuation of that living knowledge and the families who hold it.

Cared for thoughtfully, a handcrafted piece is meant to last generations. A few essentials for this one:

• Turquoise

  A soft, porous stone — keep it dry and away from perfume, lotion, and household chemicals so its color stays true.

• Sterling silver

  Buff with a soft polishing cloth — leaving intentional oxidation intact — and store airtight to slow tarnish.

• Last on, first off

  Put your piece on after fragrance, lotion, and hairspray — and take it off before water, sleep, and sport.

• Store with care

  Keep each piece in its own soft pouch, away from direct sun and damp, so softer stones never meet harder ones.