A PERSONAL WORD:

Those of you that know me by now, know that workmanship is just as important to me, as the quality of the stones that are set in the jewelry I carry.. Workmanship sits high at the top of my list as to what I feel worthy of carrying & I've been known to pass a piece or 2 up in a New York minute, if it doesn't qualify enough for me to stock it. This comes from my days as a jeweler, when clean workmanship was literally drilled in me.. It takes a lot to impress me,but when I come across "Flawless-Impeccable" made jewelry,where I can just see all the steps the artist took to make it & the numerous hours that went into it,well that is what I appreciate most & cannot pass up! THIS is that piece & you won't find a piece that's made as impeccable as this!!!

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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 Puebloan 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 NECKLACE:

Federico's never ending love for Zuni jewelry is clearly seen in this necklace, where he pays homage to this very identifiable known figure of Zuni.. I feel SO honored to bring such a piece with this sort of impeccable quality & I'm speaking ,not just the quality of the materials, but the obvious flawless workmanship it has! TRULY, a piece of ART!!

After losing one of his staff artisans to Covid last year who by the way, did all this incredible mosaic inlay work for him, he found this OUTSTANDING artisan, where it's pretty obvious that he really knows what he's doing when it comes to this type of work & his 'attention to detail' is like no other & is extremely impressive!!! This genre is very time consuming & I give any one credit who can do it properly! It takes know how, patience & skill, along with having excellent lapidary skills, when you figure that each & every single little piece of shell & stone is all hand cut & then shaped to the same size & no where does the size vary from one figure to another!!

It's a long & hearty type of necklace where there is a generous amount of both materials & metal.It has 6 very uniform Rainbow Man “blossoms'" per side that are evenly matched & made with 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.This is the same for the large centerpiece.

All the art is hooked through 2 strands of evenly matched in size 7 mm oxidized sterling beads that are all hand made, that are then held by bars on the backside to keep them all stationary.

It's more than a 10 thumbs up necklace! This is a piece that will speak for itself & has a collector's/heirloom quality!! A perfect piece of "Lapidary ART!"

** I NOW HAVE IN STOCK THE MATCHING RAINBOW EARRINGS! (SEE LAST 3 PHOTOS) THEY COME IN A CLIP ON & CAN BE FOUND UNDER ** WOMEN’S JEWELRY” THEN IN THE DROP DOWN,CLICK ON “EARRINGS 3”