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This dolomite horned toad is happy because it is carrying the Sunface on its back along with four turquoise dots in the cardinal directions.  Zuni carver, Danette Laate, inlaid turquoise eyes and detailed the scales, the "horn" part of the neck, and the feet.  It feels very good in the hand!  More about horned toads below.

Size: 1" H x 2" L x .875" W

Horned toads are thorny lizards with a fat body and very short tail.  If they feel attacked they can puff up to look bigger and their spiky scales can make them look like too much work to eat.  They can  also shoot blood out of their eyes up to 5 feet when threatened.  If you are looking for something to symbolize nonviolent protection, the horned toad may do the trick!

Traditionally, Zuni carvings are symbolically fed cornmeal.   Each Zuni fetish comes in a box with a descriptive card and a tiny bit of corn meal to tide them over until they reach you.

This sterling silver overlay Butterfly Maiden was made by Hopi jeweler, Frank Lahaleon.  She is so beautiful!  She has a feather tied into her hair, face paint, and is holding a bow with two ears of corn.  Her dress has traditional designs and she is wearing mocassins with leg wraps.  Her butterfly wings have traditional designs which include water, lightening, mountains, snow, and whirlwinds.  It has a 1.25" pin on the back, as well as a loop for a chain.  More about the overlay technique below.

Size: 3" H x 1.5" W

Hopi Overlay  Overlay jewelry is made by sawing out two sheets of sterling silver or gold the same size.  Hopi jewelers texture the bottom sheet with hatch marks.  It is then oxidized to turn it black.  The design is drawn on to the top sheet of silver which is then carefully sawed out with a fine jeweler's saw. The edges are filed smooth.  The top piece is soldered on to the bottom piece.  Sometimes, there are many small pieces that are also soldered on to the bottom sheet of silver.  It is then polished to a high sheen.  Overlay is very labor intensive!

This tall and elegant antler Corn Maiden was carved many years ago by Claudia Peina.  She is wearing a tablita with inlaid jet and turquoise on each side.  The face has inlaid turquoise eyes with a natural red coral mouth.  It has a total of twenty-seven natural red coral inlaid dots, a total of eighty-six turquoise dots, and thirty-four inlaid jet dots (if our count was correct and we counted twice).  She was well loved for many years in the personal collection of the owner of Gathering Tribes.  More about Corn Maidens below.

Size: 8.25" H x 4.5" W due to the curve.

Corn Maidens represent everything good about being a woman: strong, kind, compassionate, nurturing, and powerful.  There are many Indigenous stories about how corn was brought to the people at a time when there was hunger, and how a sacred, sometimes other worldly, female being brought them corn.  Corn maidens come with a card detailing the meaning, the carver, and the material they are carved from.

Traditionally, Zuni carvings are symbolically fed cornmeal.   Each Zuni fetish comes in a box with a descriptive card and a tiny bit of corn meal to tide them over until they reach you.

These sterling silver Navajo handmade watch tips are beautifully made with two denim lapis stones set on each side.  This watch is included, but we aren't sure if it works.  It may just need a new battery.  And, the buyer would also want to get a band which is easy to purchase from a watch shop.  It is hallmarked on the back with an A.

Watch Tips Size: 1.5" L x 1.125" W

This fabulous pendant with a large natural Carico Lake turquoise was made by award-winning Yaqui jeweler Michael Horse.  The sterling silver setting is beautiful with twisted wire around the bezel and delicate cut-outs around the outside.  The handmade sterling silver heavy duty chain comes with it and is 26" long.

Pendant Size: 4.25" L x 2" W

More about Michael Horse here.

Danette Laate carved this gleaming white frog from mother of pearl.  It's little!  It has an inlaid Sunface on the center of its back, four turquoise dots in the cardinal directions, and turquoise eyes.  What a sweetie!

Size: .375" H x 1.25" L x 1.25" W

Frogs begin life in the water as tadpoles, grow legs and are able to be on land or lily pads.  They go through a profound transition and are related to water and land.  Female frogs lay many eggs at once and are associated with fertility.  The frogs are known to sing before the rains come in Zuni Pueblo.  During droughts people will bury frog carvings in the Earth to invite the rain to come.

Traditionally, Zuni carvings are symbolically fed cornmeal.   Each Zuni fetish comes in a box with a descriptive card and a tiny bit of corn meal to tide them over until they reach you.

This chubby horned toad was carved by Kent Banteah from serpentine.  It has blue eyes and is well detailed all over!  It crouches on a base of alabaster.  It's a bit rough, but very charming.

Size: .375" H x 1.5" L x 1" W, Base is .25" H x 1.875" L x 1.125" W

Horned toads are thorny lizards with a fat body and very short tail.  If they feel attacked they can puff up to look bigger and their spiky scales can make them look like too much work to eat.  They can also shoot blood out of their eyes up to 5 feet when threatened.  If you are looking for something to symbolize nonviolent protection, the horned toad may do the trick!

Traditionally, Zuni carvings are symbolically fed cornmeal.   Each Zuni fetish comes in a box with a descriptive card and a tiny bit of corn meal to tide them over until they reach you.

Cherokee jeweler, Michael Anthony Cheatham made these triple domed sterling silver earrings that dangle from sterling wires.  The design represents snowfall.  A wonderful reminder of the beauty of winter.

Size: 3.75" including wire, domes are .75", .875" and 1.125" diameter

Michael Anthony Cheatham is an enrolled member of the Echota Cherokee of Alabama.  He is an award-winning, self-taught jeweler who has a Gemologist Diploma from the Gemological Institute of America.  We are happy to be the only online representative of his work and hope you enjoy the treasures he creates.

This sterling silver Chief head ring has inlaid turquoise and red coral chips in the headdress. The hand is textured on each side and narrows toward the back.  This sterling silver ring is casted, which means that there are many like this, and it is not Native American made.  

Size: 10 - .675" Wide

David Tune is an award-winning Creek, Navajo, Hopi jeweler.  He inlaid this ring with  natural red coral, fossilized walrus ivory, sugilite, and Sleeping Beauty turquoise.  The setting has detailed cut-outs all around the edge, and the band is tufa cast (see below). 

Size: 7.5, can be adjusted half a size up or down.  Setting is 1' H x 0.4375 W

Tufa Jewelry: Tufa is a volcanic stone which can be as dense as chalk which has an organic texture. The first thing a jeweler does is examine a piece of tufa for any tiny fractures.  If it looks good, the tufa is cut in half and, if there is a design, it is carved into the tufa.   There is a pour hole carved into the top and several narrow vents carved into each side.  The two pieces are then bound together tightly and molten silver or gold is poured through the hole at the top.  If there are any microscopic cracks, the tufa explodes when the metal is poured in and the process has to begin again. 

This stunning pendant has red, purple and pink spiny oyster shell with splashes of Sleeping Beauty turquoise set in brushed sterling silver.  The bale is large enough for two or three strands of 4mm beads, a thick chain, or 8-10mm beads.  This pendant is a reminder to the wearer of the vitality of water...water is life!  Price drop from $490 to $420!

Size: 3.75" H x 1.25" W