A PERSONAL WORD:

This is one of Federico's earlier pieces, where his long-standing admiration for Zuni mosaic inlay work is clearly displayed throughout the necklace. With that in mind, the design draws its inspiration from an older Zuni Puebloan design that he respectfully pays homage to. This Squash Blossom necklace has remained in his collection for quite some time and has retained its integrity over the years, making it an older piece that was never sold or previously worn.

Having worked with Federico for some time now, I have to admit that I’ve witnessed some of the best mosaic and lapidary work of any artist I have worked with. He consistently assembles a team of top-tier mosaic inlay artists whose workmanship ranks among the finest, while producing truly impeccable and exquisite lapidary art and mosaic inlay pieces. Their precise mathematical sense and refined artistic vision are always evident, resulting in work that demonstrates both technical mastery and clear aesthetic intention.

THE SQUASH BLOSSOM NECKLACE:

Designed with Federico’s unmistakable “Over the Top” signature size, this piece will have you noticed whether you’re coming or going!! This is a massively large and substantial necklace that’s designed with an exceptionally generous amount of materials—definitely not for the skimpy-minded. Not only is the length dramatic, but its chunky, weighty construction gives it a bold presence and a satisfyingly solid feel when worn. It literally has Santa Fe/Texas written all over it!

This is a piece of "wearable art" that leans toward the abstract in a whimsical sort of way. The figure is portrayed as a "Butterfly/Chief" with an exaggerated face made from Spiny Oyster & if you look even closer in on the face profile, you'll see where he even has a nose & mouth that have been chiseled in! He has long onyx-black hair that is tied back with a slice of white Mother of Pearl, and a body made with green Nevada turquoise. Toward the bottom of its form you can clearly see how it echoes a butterfly’s abdomen, adding to the playful, symbolic composition. (Please zoom in on the close-up shots of the panel(s) by themselves — the design prominently features onyx.) The figure sits secure in a sterling bezel.

There are 7 graduated, linear-shaped offshoots that emulate the chief’s feather headdress. These are channel-mosaic inlaid and made from the same materials as the body. Whether in the body or the headdress, this is where the ‘truth’ of the lapidarian’s/artist’s skill must be impeccably precise; otherwise any small mistake will be obvious and the piece will look like an absolute mess. As you can see, there are no imperfections anywhere.

What I find SO unique about this design is, if you check out photos 5 & 6 for example, you'll see that when the center panels are laid side by side, the face/body forms not only a heart, but butterfly wings!! All these materials were hand cut & shaped by hand & each section is then set in it's own bezel which is then outlined with a twisted wire wrap.

THE STERLING BEADS:

All of these beads were made the old school way, by taking the ½ dome bead, soldering it to the other ½ & cleaning up the center’s roughness from the soldering. The panels are backed by a double strand of 7 mm hand made sterling beads & then each panel has been threaded through 2 sterling bars on the backside to keep each panel secure & stationary. (See backside photo) The double strand turns into a single strand for a short distance. Comes wit a hook & eye closure.

Please go over the weight before purchasing.(Read Below)

We carry this design in a clip on earring that are posted under the “Earrings 1” category, we also have a couple of rings, as well as a vintage pin in this style. Except for the latter, the earrings & the rings are new.

Please go through all the provided photos, since they play a major role to the description! Need to do a layaway? Please email us!

SPECIFICS:

ARTIST: Federico Jimenez

CIRCA MADE: 1990’S

WEIGHT: 1 POUND 5.1 OUNCES-OR 600 GRAMS- OR 21.2 OUNCES

INNER WEARABLE LENGTH: 30"(Laid out horizontally and measured from hook closure to eye closure (Without panel length)

ADD CENTER PANELS SIZE: 3.50” Tall x 2.50” at it’s Widest

TOTAL LENGTH: About 33”

ADJUSTABLE: No

NECKLINE PANEL SIZE: 3” X 2” ” Each

METAL: Sterling

METAL FINISH: Naturally Developed Patina

MATERIAL: Green Nevada Turquoise-Black Onyx-Luminescent White Mother of Pearl-Orange Spiny Oyster Shell

HALLMARK: 'JF/STERLING'(2 x’s on the back of the center panels)

COME BOXED ( comes with a large silk velvet pouch for storage & or travel.)

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SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT:

Anything with a high price tag, will have a mandatory signature confirmation requirement. (reflected in shipping price).. If you're not home in the day & need it shipped where it can be signed for, please change that in your "Ship To" section before I create the shipping label***I'm sorry if this may be an inconvenience, but I do not ship expensive pieces without one. This is for your safety & mine.

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PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:

*****I do not consider myself a 'professional photographer" but I do try my hardest to give you photos that are 'realistic" in color.. I do however find that photographing anything with 'yellow' in it, (greens & oranges)a little harder to photograph, since this color can come up much more vivid than other colors,, so please take this into consideration & go through all photos to see any variation. Remember, every monitor is different since some can show something to be more vivid and other monitors can make it look duller.

Even though this is a massively large necklace,close up photos so you can see all the fine detail can tend to make the item look gigantic & everything is more magnified than in actuality. .So to get an accurate idea of how big this is,please either check it out on the mannequin to get a rough idea (see photos) or you can pull out a tape measure & compare to my given measurements