Zuni Pueblo Turquoise and Silver Petit Point Belt Buckle [R]

The workmanship of Zuni lapidary artists and silversmiths has always impressed me, but this belt buckle has set the standard. It is one of the most beautiful arrangements of classic all natural turquoise ranging in color from blue to green an artisan could put together.

The outer ring of tear-drop shaped turquoise is followed by a ring of round and domed ones that itself is followed by a smaller row of teardrop stones, all centered around a single deep blue stone in the center. The combination of tear drop stones and round ones and a mixture of shades of color keep the buckle from looking like a mass produced object but reinforces that it was lovingly hand made with individual stones selected by the artisan.

As an additional bonus, the artisan arranged the silver backing on which the stones rest in a curved manner when it would have been much easier to simply keep it flat. The obvious love of work of this artisan is well illustrated in this work of art. The buckle will accommodate a belt of 7/8” or less in width.