Zuni
The Zuni tribe are known for a history of being highly skilled lapidary artists, passing down stone cutting techniques from generation to generation. These lapidary skills and designs traditionally rooted in spiritualism in silversmithing. The Zuni tradition in jewelry started with carved fetishes in stone, particularly turquoise, as well as other local, natural materials such as shell and coral. Fetishes are small Zuni carvings that depict animals generally or other cultural symbols. The fetish carvings began their use in ceremonies as the Zuni people believed that each animal had unique powers and characteristics that could aid the owner. The stone carving skills transferred to lapidary skills by adding to each of the ceremonial pieces creating jewelry and by 1872, a traveling Navajo man named Atsidi Chon began teaching further jewelry making skills in silversmithing to a Zuni tribesman named Lanyade. These silversmithing methods began as the ability to create tools, and parts of weapons. Then as the craftsmanship increased artisans within the tribe began to incorporate their fetish carving skills creating Zuni based jewelry. This craftsmanship was heavily influenced by C.G. Wallace, a trader who saw the potential designs as a new fashion for non-native jewelry wearers. He began even providing stones, silver, and commissioning designs. He branched further into the jewelry industry and employed designers, hired Zuni as miners, and had a team of jewelry makers as well as lapidaries.
