Zuni Inlaid Sea Turtle Fetish By Taylor Gia

Introducing Sven the sea turtle. Sven was hand carved into existence by Zuni artist Taylor Gia. He's made mostly of brown and grey picasso marble, but he's inlaid with brightly colored stones: turquoise eyes with coral, lapis and serpentine on his back.

Sven has good solid weight in the hand and except for his inlay is nice and smooth. He's adorable when displayed, but when you pick him up, flip him onto his back and rub his belly, he serves as a perfect worry stone. 

For Zuni people, turtles represent endurance - slowly making it through the hardships of life. Sea turtles like Sven swim with the flow rather than against it, so they remind us to seek ease as we go through life. Sven may have a serious looking face, but he's definitely onto a strategy for a better life.

Sven the sea turtle measures 2 1/2" long x 1 3/4" wide. He's 5/8" tall and signed by Taylor Gia on his turtle tummy.

He comes from the collection of a beautiful woman who grew up in Germany during World War II. Post war, she moved to the United States and became a model in New York City. She eventually married, left her modeling career, and moved to El Paso with her husband. In El Paso, she first experienced the charm of Native American art and jewelry. 

Many years later, she attended her first of several celebrated Native American art field trips hosted by Martha Struever. During this time, she expanded her collection of Native American art and jewelry. He collection wasn't vast, but it was extremely meaningful to her.

After a long and full life, this dear woman recently passed away. She knew that her collection which she lovingly called her "treasures" was to be handled by Turquoise & Tufa, and she expressed her wishes that these dear fetishes would bring as much joy to us as they did to her.