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Effie Calavaza was born in 1927 in Zuni, New Mexico as Effie Lankeseon, [4] [5] where she lived her entire life. [6] She married Juan Calavaza (1910–1970), also a jewelry artist, who taught her the art. Until her husband's death in 1970, she signed her own work with her husband's signature, "JUAN C.–ZUNI".
The most important of these materials was turquoise which the Zuni regard as the sacred stone. Jet, shell (primarily mother-of-pearl), and coral are also frequently used. These materials and their associated colors are principle in the Zuni sunface, a cultural symbol which is present in Zuni jewelry and fetishes and represents their Sun Father.
Among these peoples turquoise was used in mosaic inlay, in sculptural works, and was fashioned into toroidal beads and freeform pendants. The distinctive silver jewelry produced by the Navajo and other Southwestern Native American tribes today is a rather modern development, thought to date from c. 1880 as a result of European influences.
Today, Zuni bird fetishes are often set with heishe beads in multi-strand necklaces. [63] Lanyade became the first Zuni silversmith in 1872. [44] Kineshde, a Zuni smith of the late 1890s, is credited for first combining silver and turquoise in his jewelry. [64] Zuni jewelers soon became known for their clusterwork.
Tommy Singer (1940 – May 31, 2014) was a Navajo silversmith who specialized in chip-inlay jewelry. [1] He died in a motorcycle accident on May 31, 2014. [citation needed] His inlaid turquoise, coral, and silver pieces incorporated traditional Navajo designs. Singer gained acclaim as the originator of the chip inlay design which he developed ...
The Navajo silversmiths also borrowed the "naja" (najahe in Navajo) [58] symbol to shape the silver pendant that hangs from the "squash blossom" necklace. Turquoise has been part of jewelry for centuries, but Navajo artists did not use inlay techniques to insert turquoise into silver designs until the late 19th century.