A PERSONAL NOTE:

When I’m scouting out there looking for jewelry or even considering carrying an artist’s work, I look for the “identity” factor. In other words, something that tells me right away who the artist is and that this identity belongs solely to them. Someone who isn’t borrowing or copying the designs of others, but who develops their own unmistakable “signature style” that lets you recognize their work immediately. To put it another way, if we compare it to music, it would be like hearing Billie Holiday — you know instantly it’s Billie. The same idea applies here: when you see the piece, you know it’s Tamara.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Growing up in the Zuni Pueblo, Tamara was raised in an artistic environment that wasn’t easily escapable. Deeply influenced by her mother, Andrea Lonjose, and her celebrated grandmother, Shirley Benn—(who happens to be one of the most sought Zuni artists who is highly collectible and extremely well known)—the young Tamara would watch them lovingly create ultra beautiful pieces. Working primarily with sterling silver and vibrant shells and stones, they would carefully and precisely inlay each element into the metal. These two women, in particular, were her closest mentors, and Tamara gives them full credit for helping shape her skills and guiding her to where she is today.

Tamara has taken off in this industry because of her exceptional talents, and there’s a good reason her work is so much in demand. Some time ago she was honored with a 1st place ribbon at the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, where she impressed the judges so strongly that she earned the 1st place ribbon award in the “Lapidary” category. I could imagine how proud her family must be that she has come this far!

THE EARRINGS:

Besides Tamara’s butterflies and Hummingbirds, these are designed with another of her favorite subjects: Dragonflies. With a wingspan designed at just about 1-3/4 inches, each piece is mosaic inlaid with luminous Gold Lip Oyster shell and accented with carefully chosen materials — turquoise, Italian red coral, and black jet. These stones and shells are not only hand-cut and shaped to form a picturesque mosaic work of art, but Tamara also imparts a distinctive texture to each material, enhancing depth, contrast, and tactile appeal.

They are light & wearable & are fit to be worn by ANY age group & would make a memorable gift to that special woman in your life!

Remember, with Zuni Work, you are not paying for the amount of materials, but rather the time it takes to create these!

*****************

ARTIST: Tamara Pinto

TRIBAL AFFILIATION: Zuni Pueblo

METAL: Sterling Silver

METAL FINISH: Contemporary

COMBINED EARRING WEIGHT: 11 Grams

EARRING MEASUREMENT: 1-3/4 X 1-3/4" (Length is taken from ear wire curvature to bottom- Width taken at upper part of wing)

MATERIALS: Golden Yellow Gold Lip Oyster Shell, Coral, Turquoise , Black Jet

STYLE: Mosaic Inlaid Multi Colored Dragonfly Earrings

HALLMARK: "Tamara Pinto/Zuni" (Written Script)

Comes Gift Boxed

************************

PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:
I am not a professional photographer, but I do try to do my best at giving you accuracy in color. Please go through each photo to see any variation. Whether it be your computer monitor or phone screen, the item can appear to be either more vivid (Or duller),so please take this into consideration.

In order to give you close up photos so I can provide you with all the detail, photos can tend to make the item look much more larger & everything is more magnified than in actuality. To get an idea of the size, you can view the photos showing them on the ear or if you have a measuring tape ,please pull it out & then compare everything to the measurements I provided you with..