Made & designed by Zuni master artisans: Leonard (1923-1992) and Lula (1930-2004) Weebothee -Circa 1950's/60's

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A PERSONAL WORD

Having a jewelers background where precise workmanship was literally pounded into me, I have learned through the decades, to spot excellent workmanship when I see it.. With this experience, my eye tells me immediately who needs more training or who 'has it & get's it' & who will most likely be considered to be 'master' artisan in the industry. This experience has also helped spot the pouring of love & time that the artist puts into the piece, as if each were specifically being made to be showcased in a museum or maybe to be awarded 1st place at a juried event..

One of the 1st things I take into consideration, is the year the piece was made & what tools were available in that time period and then I look at the work to see how well the piece was made with the tools they had..Were tools readily available or did they have to make their own in order to make something? When you consider what the artists had to work with back in the time this was made & then you look at how PERFECT it was made, as if they had all the modern day tools that are readily available to us today, makes you wonder what their work would look like if they were alive today! With all this said, I am in awh over this husband/wife duo's work,simply because of these things mentioned!! Workmanship doesn't get any better than what you get with Leonard & Lulu's work!!!

THE SQUASH BLOSSOM:

Known for their extraordinary workmanship, this prized necklace was made where Leonard & Lulu cut each AND every stone to perfection, which gives it the impeccable uniform look it has. Its entirely made with pear & round cut NATURAL turquoise (Which was the only thing available back in this time period) And all but 2 of the round cuts have deepened in color, which tells you that the remaining are high quality turquoise that are a "Harder" grade & in turquoise, the harder the turquoise, the higher the quality & the higher the quality, the less the color changes over time & doesn't need to be stabilized in order to cut them! Also what tells you that the turquoise is top notch, is that each cut has that 'spit shine' finishing that only high quality natural turquoise gives you.

There are 12 small little cluster sections (6 per side) that are made with 9 stones that flare out at the bottom where they are finalized with sterling beads & blossom. The Naja is beautifully made where the circular crescent shape has all these precisely matched stones that follow the curvature. The art work is held together by 2 strands of all hand made 'pearls' that are also precisely made in a small 5 mm size bead. The necklace ends with 2-3/4" in a single strand.

This came from a very well known Santa Fe'an collector that inherited it from a close family member years ago & was kept in a zip lock bag inside a security box, so it is well taken care of & looks like it was made yesterday! It's in very good condition!

This is one of the best vintage Zuni necklaces I must admit & definitely one to be appreciated, not only for it's historical classic Zuni value, but for the workmanship by this duo that you just don't find everyday! It is dainty in size & weight & can be worn by just about any age group!