Vintage Zuni Sterling Silver and Turquoise Fish Scale Channel Inlay Buckle [SOLD]

This vintage Zuni belt buckle contains multiple pieces of turquoise cut and set within silver channels. The style is commonly known as “fish scale” as the positioning of the fragments resembles the scales of a fish. The buckle was made by Zuni artisan Harlan R. Coonsis. Harlan is a prize- winning lapidary artist whose work has been featured in multiple publications. 

Harlan Coonsis (1958-) is Sun Clan, and he has been an active jeweler and lapidary artisan since 1975, making works in mosaic, carved solid inlay, engraved, cabs in bezels, and stampwork.  He has won awards at Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial in Gallup, New Mexico.  This buckle is an early piece by Harlan, dating to the late 1980s or 1990s. It is signed with the initials RHC.

Making jewelry is one of the primary economic activities at Zuni. Every family has someone involved in some aspect of the creation and sale of jewelry. Zuni lapidary artists have been cutting, shaping, and polishing small pieces of stone and shell since prehistoric times. When the Spanish arrived in the area, they added silver and other metals to their repertoire. Zuni lapidary artists became adept at using silver as a frame for their stone and shell works of art.

Condition: the buckle is in very good condition. The colors of the turquoise have changed over the years, as is consistent with wear.

Provenance: this Vintage Zuni Sterling Silver and Turquoise Fish Scale Channel Inlay Buckle is from a collector in Oklahoma

Recommended Reading: Zuni: A Village of Silversmiths by James Ostler, Marian Rodee, and Milford Nahohai

Relative Links: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Zuni Pueblo. Harlan R. Coonsis, Zuni Pueblo Artisan