Bidspirit auction | Alonzo Hustito Sterling & Turquoise

Alonzo Hustito Sterling & Turquoise Kachina Pendant / Brooch - Marked on the reverse.  Dimensions: 2 3/4” Tall x 1” Wide  Total Weight: 18.5g   Condition: Minor tarnishing throughout. Minor surface scratches to the silver. Please see images for details.    Artist Bio: Alonzo Hustito belongs to the first generation of Zuni jewelers who turned inlay toward sacred and human figures. Working from the 1940s, he is credited by the researcher Toshio Sei and earlier scholars as the likely creator of the first Rainbow Man design offered for sale, a motif that went on to become one of the most familiar in Zuni jewelry. He made kachina and ceremonial dancer figures as well, cut from turquoise, coral, jet, shell and mother of pearl. What set his work apart was the silver around the stone. Hustito was known for framing his inlaid figures in decorative silverwork, adding silver feathers to the Knifewing and surrounding his dancers with fans, raindrops and twisted wire, so the setting became part of the design rather than a simple bezel. His son, Charles Hustito, carried mosaic and channel inlay into the next generation. This kachina pendant and brooch is marked by Hustito on the reverse.