There have always been strict guidelines at Zuni Pueblo regarding pottery decoration, yet each potter has also always had some degree of freedom. The things that seem to be traditional and inflexible are the manner in which the main body decoration and that of the neck are separated. According to Zuni informants to Ruth Bunzel in 1924 and 1925, it is imperative that the first bit of decoration that goes on any Zuni jar be the black framing line or pair of framing lines that separate the neck from the main body. It is also imperative that this line or pair of lines not be connected. Today we refer to this as a ceremonial break. The informants were explicit in these statements. Another noticeable aspect on Zuni jars is that there is no correlation between the design of the neck and that of the body of the vessel, except that a certain harmony is preserved between the two.
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