Inlay Dangle Earrings by Ferdinand and Sylvia Hooee, Zuni

Inlay Dangle Earrings
by Ferdinand and Sylvia Hooee, Zuni Pueblo
inlays of coral and mother of pearl, sterling silver
1.75” long x 3/8”wide

“Sylvia and I are both Zuni from Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico. We are both from families that worked in the jewelry business. Sylvia's family did petit point style of work using turquoise and lapis settings. In our family, my mother Etta Lynn Laate was the silversmith and she was my teacher. She always told me when I started working on jewelry to make sure no cracks in stones, make sure silver is all soldered right and make sure they are clean. 

When Sylvia and I got together, we started working on channel inlay, which is what my mother's work was. Putting our ideas together, we create many different designs with natural stone settings and using only sterling silver and 14K gold.” - Ferdinand Hooee