Up for sale is a .800 Silver and Stone Inlay ‘Thunderbird’ Decorative Brooch/Medallion. .008 Silver is inlaid in mosaic style with green and blue turquoise, white mother of pearl, tortoise and spiny oyster shell. Brooch dimensions are approximately 50x40mm. This style of intricately cut and constructed stone inlay mosaic on silver is generally considered characteristic of Zuni Native American Indian jewelry making techniques. In fair vintage condition. Inventory: 15194
The Thunderbird symbol is especially common in the art and oral histories of North American indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest, but also crops up frequently in the stories and symbols of native cultures in the American Southwest and Great Plains. The Thunderbird’s symbolic meaning and significance varies from group to group, but generally it was closely associated with the bringing of rain, lightening, and the power of untamed, unknowable natural phenomena.
