“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way—things I had no words for.”— Georgia O’Keeffe

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Master mosaic Zuni artist Quintin Quam Sr. is from the Zuni Pueblo, but Albuquerque is fortunate to have Quintin call the city his home. A previous painter, Quintin traded out the tubes of color, brushes & canvas, to now working with our earth's naturally produced colors for his subjects... He continues to paint, but these days it's done in a stone/shell/metal art form. Quintin's picturesque pieces are made where he cuts each one of these tiny, tiny colorful stones (or shell) by hand & then intricately laying them 'flush' into the sterling that actually look like a painted picture! All the feather detailing & everything else to create a more ‘realistic image’, is further created by the hands of Quintin.

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THE HUMMINGBIRD:

The hummingbird is a messenger of joy. It stands for intelligence, beauty, devotion, and love. The beautiful, small sized birds are also respected as fierce fighters and defenders of their territory.

Hummingbirds are a symbol of good luck. Seeing one of these birds before an event, such as a hunting trip, or travelling to another village, was considered a good sign.

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THE BUTTERFLY:

A powerful beacon of growth and new beginnings, the butterfly signifies the power of transformation and the incredible feats we can achieve when we trust ourselves. We all have the ability to listen to our innate wisdom, guide ourselves through difficult times, and emerge better and stronger than before.

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THE PENDANT:

When Quintin was finished & brought this to me, I have to admit, I nearly fell to my knees, if not needing a cold rag & if I was wearing pearls, they would have been clutched to no end!! Because I appreciate art and am a colorist, Quintin's art always effects me like no other. His use of color is like looking at a painting & instinctively knows how and where to lay the color for ultimate effect.

Hanging from a huge mosaic inlaid Hummingbird tapered bale is the large 6" pendant, that is "Over the Top, HUGE, (with the bale it's 7-3/4"! See photo 18 where it’s against my hand) which personally is the right size to beautifully fit all the 8 hummingbirds (9 hummingbirds with the bale) & all the 12 butterflies.. So that the hummingbirds coloring is accentuated, each hummingbird is colored differently from the next & are beautifully 'painted' with cuts of Dark green Malachite, Lime green Gaspeite ,Yellow Serpentine, Italian Red Coral, Pink Angel Skin Coral, Blue Lapis, Brown Pen Shell, White Shell, Purple Sugilite that are displayed within one bird! The butterflies are the same, only they are designed in one solid color, but have outlines of brown Pen shell to help to accentuate their color. When you zoom in, you will see how he cut each & every shaped stone & shell to intricately form the body & instead of doing 'straight' lines to create the birds,each have realistic curved shapes! Just outside the perimeter, are triangular shapes of Sleeping Beauty turquoise, orange Spiny Oyster, Lapis & Gold Lip Oyster & white shell.

This is a collectible piece of traditional Zuni Puebloan art that has an heirloom/museum quality that is done by a master Zuni artisan.. And I have no doubt that each time you look at it, you will always be asking yourself "How in the heck did he cut all this"??? And when you do, you can't help b,ut appreciate not only the beauty of Zuni Pueblo jewelry, but the work of Quintin Quam Sr.!

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**The price is dictated based on the numerous hours/days spent cutting & shaping all of the tiny materials, rather than the amount of materials or the weight of the metal-** This is "Hand Made Zuni Art at it's FINEST" & cannot be made in a matter of a couple of hours!