Federico Jimenez - Exquisite Lapidary Art! - FLAWLESS / METICULOUSLY Hand Mosaic Flush Inlaid - Zuni Inspired "RAINBOWMAN" Sterling Earrings-Comes in POST & CLIP ON! !
Federico Jimenez - Exquisite Lapidary Art! - FLAWLESS / METICULOUSLY Hand Mosaic Flush Inlaid - Zuni Inspired "RAINBOWMAN" Sterling Earrings-Comes in POST & CLIP ON! !
SALE FOR ONE PAIR- COME IN CLIP ON AND POST!
THE RAINBOW MAN FIGURE:
For those of you that might be beginners to southwest jewelry, the "Rainbow Man" is one of the most recognized figures throughout the southwest,being identifiable to the Zuni Pueblo people. He is the sacred Zuni Pueblo guardian spirit identified as a symbol of protection, which is often seen on the Zuni’s war shields and is a symbol of the rainbow which represents the life sustaining rains for their agricultural importance in the arid American Southwest & especially for the sacred corn plant..
This figure was one of the first figures used in traditional Zuni mosaic inlay jewelry. Various Zuni Native artists started creating mosaic inlay jewelry featuring the Rainbow Man in the 1920’s to the 1940’s and becoming popular by the 1950’s.He is very important in Zuni traditions, culture and society & is known for it's "Rainbow" shape!
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THE EARRINGS:
After losing a previous artisan to Covid, who by the way, did all this incredible mosaic inlay work, Federico was blessed to find this new lapidarian that any one would be fortunate enough to have on staff! It's clearly obvious that he knows what he's doing when it comes to this type of meticulous work ,where your 'attention to detail' has to be at it’ highest level..The workmanship in these, could not be more impressive!!!
These earrings are made with 2 art forms, one being mosaic inlay work, the other knowing the art of lapidary.(stone cutting) Both are very time consuming & I give any one credit who can do it properly & presicely! Each & every single little piece of shell & stone is all hand cut & shaped, so this takes know how, patience & skill & especially when working with these tiny mini cuts!!! (The smaller the cuts,the more time, with no room for any mistakes! )
These are mosaic 'flush' inlaid with cuts of NATURAL Sleeping Beauty turquoise, red spiny oyster shell, white Mother of Pearl & black onyx. Each section of the figure is set in their own bezels, but if you zoom in on the photos,you'll see where the face, upper body & skirt have an 'embedded' type of flush inlay. So these are of one piece,but have all the tiny cuts embedded into the section that then sits in it's bezel! The arms, the ceremonial Tablita headdress, legs/feet have a different technique, where they are "channel" mosaic inlaid.
**You are not paying for the weight,nor the amount of materials,but rather the time it took for these to be made **
INFO FOR BOTH CLIP ONS & POSTS
ARTIST: Federico Jimenez
COMBINED WEIGHT OF BOTH: 20 grams
MEASUREMENTS: 1-5/8" X 7/8" (Measured at the longest/widest points)
MATERIAL: Natural High Grade Sleeping Beauty Turquoise-Orange/Red Spiny Oyster Shell-Shimmery Mother of Pearl-Black Onyx
METAL: Sterling Silver
METAL FINISH: Contemporary
TECHNIQUE: Excellent Lapidarian Work-Mosaic Inlay-Time, Patience & Love!
HALLMARK: Sterling JF
Comes Gift Boxed
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PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:
*****I do not consider myself a 'professional photographer" but I do try my hardest to give you photos that are 'realistic" in color,just so you're not shocked, nor disappointed when you get the piece.
In order to give you close up photos so you can see all the detail, close up pictures can tend to make the item look much more larger & everything is more magnified than in actuality. So to get an accurate idea of how big these are,please either check them out being worn to get a rough idea (photo 2 ) or you can pull out a tape measure & compare to my given measurements.
