Vintage Inlay Panda Bear Pin/Pendant By Virgil & Shirley Benn

If you're a panda bear lover, we've got an adorable vintage pin/pendant of an inlay panda by husband and wife jeweler team Virgil and Shirley Benn.

Virgil is from Zuni Pueblo and brings the inlay jewelry tradition while his wife, Shirley, is from Hopi and brings some majorly artistic genes including her Great-grandmother Nampeyo of Hano and her mother Daisy Hooee Nampeyo. Interestingly, Shirley's mom was also married to a renowned Zuni jeweler, Leo Poblano, and together Daisy and Leo created some of the world's most exceptional, sculptural inlay jewelry. 

Virgil and Shirley Benn create incredibly realistic inlay jewelry often depicting animals and other elements of the natural world. 

They've done a few renditions of panda jewelry, but this one is a definite favorite - he looks so real - from his rotund little midsection to his relaxed reclined posture. Also fantastic is the addition of his delicious eucalyptus branch. One other adorable detail: he's got one foot turned up, so you can see the bottom of that little foot. It's so cool that Virgil and Shirley Benn added these little tidbits. It shows what keen observers of the natural world they are!

Panda measures 1 5/8" x 1 3/8" and is hallmarked on the reverse.