Vintage Zuni Rainbow Man Pin Pendant of Inlay

About the Piece:

Here's a vintage Zuni Rainbow Man pin or pendant with a uniquely colored arrangement of inlay stones.

With this Rainbow Man you have an unexpected combination of the more typical bold black jet and red coral, but there's also pale blue turquoise, milky white shell, warm melon shell and a single piece of faded green turquoise. The overall palette is softer, more muted.

The lovely guy dates from the mid-century and was added to Martha Struever's "Gallery Collection" in March of 2009.

Rainbow man measures 2 3/4" x 2 1/8" and is unsigned. He will ship to you on a black leather necklace with a sterling silver clasp. Also, he's being offered at his original 2009 price. In a world of rising prices, isn't that nice!

Please note that he does have a slight but stable crack across his top jet stone. The photograph makes it look much more prominent than it is.

In his book, Knifewing and Rainbow Man in Zuni Jewelry, Toshio Sei describes the Rainbow Man as a sacred being associated with the summer rains and the colors of the sky. Rainbow man likely originated from a single source and then different Zuni jewelers added bits of their personality when creating this beloved design. In fact, a 1945 edition of Arizona Highways described Rainbow Man jewelry as "fantasies in design and color." 

 Summary:

Item: Vintage Zuni Rainbow Man pin and pendant of multi-stone inlay.

Attribution: Zuni

Materials: turquoise, coral, jet, shell and sterling silver

Dimensions: Rainbow Man measures 2 3/4" x 2 1/8"

Signature: No

Provenance: Added to Martha Struever's "Gallery Collection" in March of 2009.