Cluster Work: Constellations of Turquoise
Cluster Work: Constellations of Turquoise
Cluster work turns stones into the whole show: dozens of matched cabochons — rounds, teardrops, needles — arranged in radiating rows around a center, each in its own hand-made bezel. Where inlay sets stone INTO silver, cluster work sets silver to serve the stones.
A Zuni Signature — with Navajo Hands Too
The books document cluster work as a hallmark of Zuni lapidary artistry[1], practiced by both Zuni and Navajo smiths[2]. Its most celebrated documented practitioners include Alice and Duane Quam, whose cluster work appears repeatedly in the record[3] — alongside makers like Phyllis Coonsis, Don C. and Velma Dewa, and Virginia Hooee[4], many with pages in our directory.
Reading a Cluster Piece
Collectors look for matched stones (a good cluster uses stones cut from related material, evenly colored), consistent bezels, and symmetry that holds up close. Petit point and needlepoint — the finer cousins where each stone is a sliver — get their own page soon.
A note on accuracy. We strive for accuracy, and this page is continuously updated with new information from the artists, their families, and the community. Corrections welcome.
Sources
- Lund, Indian Jewelry: Fact and Fantasy, pp. 82, 91
- Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry, p. 83
- Encyclopedia, pp. 83, 196
- Hougart, Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks (5th ed.), pp. 150–152, 164, 204
