Zuni Pueblo Mosaic Stone Rainbow Man Bracelet [SOLD]

The Zuni Rainbow Man is among the most popular jewelry item for collectors. Representations of specific native religious imagery such as this was frowned upon among most pueblos, but some ceremonially significant figures were conventionalized and used for decorative purposes, probably knowingly so, because of non-Indian interest. Some of these figures had their appearances deliberately altered to avoid offending traditionalists’ spiritual sensitivities.

This Zuni Pueblo Mosaic Stone Rainbow Man Bracelet consists, among others, of turquoise, jet, mother-of-pearl and spiny oyster shell set in stone-to-stone fashion in finely serrated silver bezels. Such fine bezel work is the work of an exceptionally talented jeweler and such meticulous lapidary work could only have been done by a very talented artisan.  The stonework is laid on sterling silver backing as the foundation, which was curved to fit the top of the bracelet.  The bracelet foundation is formed from three wide flat silver bars that are spread apart at the top and joined at the ends.

The way the stones have been cut and so tightly merged against each other demonstrates that a very talented lapidary artist was at work on this piece. The strong black of the jet, merged with the blue of the turquoise, and accented by the spiny oyster’s orange-red color and the warmth of the glossy white of the mother-of-pearl provide a palette that is not achieved in today’s jewelry as it was in the past. This is truly an exceptional work of art.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman from Colorado

Recommended Reading: “The Jim and Lauris Phillips Center for the Study of Southwestern Jewelry at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian” by Jonathan Batkin.  In American Indian Art Magazine, Summer 2015.