Petit Point Setting — Zuni Lapidary's Mosaic of Small Stones
Petit Point Setting — Zuni Lapidary's Mosaic of Small Stones
A mid-twentieth century Zuni technique built on miniature, precisely matched cabochons
Petit point is the Zuni lapidary technique in which small, individually shaped turquoise cabochons — typically teardrop, oval, or circular — are set in dense mosaic patterns of bezel-mounted silver. The style developed at the Zuni Pueblo in west-central New Mexico in the early to mid twentieth century and is one of the principal lineages of Native American jewellery, distinct in vocabulary and technique from Navajo silverwork and from Hopi overlay. Petit point and the closely related needlepoint setting are emblematic of Zuni cluster work and remain in active production by Zuni silversmiths and lapidaries today.
Origin and development
Zuni lapidary tradition long predates the introduction of silverwork; pre-contact and early-historic Zuni craft included extensive bead and inlay work in turquoise, jet, shell, and coral, and the religious and ceremonial use of such material is documented in the archaeology of the Cibola region. Silverwork at Zuni followed the broader Pueblo adoption of the technique in the late nineteenth century, learned in part from Navajo smiths who had themselves taken up the craft from Mexican silversmiths a generation earlier. The introduction of commercial sheet silver, drawn wire, and trader-supplied cabochons through the 1890s and 1900s gave Zuni makers the materials to develop a regional style.
By the 1920s and 1930s, Zuni makers had moved away from the heavier silver-forward Navajo aesthetic toward designs in which the metal serves as a setting for many small stones; the petit point and needlepoint formats are products of that turn. C.G. Wallace, the trader at Zuni from 1928 to 1975, was instrumental in encouraging the cluster styles, in supplying calibrated cabochons cut elsewhere, and in promoting the work to collectors through his trading post and through New York and Los Angeles galleries. The C.G. Wallace Collection, sold in 1975, is the principal documented archive of mid-century Zuni production.
The mid-twentieth century saw Zuni petit point reach a high level of refinement. Makers such as Edith Tsabetsaye — whose work is held at the Smithsonian — Dishta family members, and the Quam, Yuselew, Lonjose, Leekya, and Iule families developed signature variations on the basic vocabulary; their work is documented in the collections of the Heard Museum, the Wheelwright Museum, and the Indian Arts Research Center at the School for Advanced Research in Santa Fe.
Form and method
Petit point cabochons are typically between three and eight millimetres along their longest dimension and are cut so that one end tapers to a point and the other is rounded — the teardrop form. Needlepoint, the closely related variant, uses cabochons that taper at both ends to form a slender pointed oval. The maker shapes each cabochon individually on a lapidary wheel, working the stones to a uniform set that can be assembled into geometric patterns.
Each stone is set in an individual silver bezel, and the bezels are arranged on a backing plate to form rosettes, clusters, rows, or radial designs. The work demands sustained patience and precision: a typical petit point cluster pendant or bracelet will contain dozens to hundreds of stones, each with its own bezel, and the overall geometry depends on the cabochons matching closely in size, colour, and finish. The bezel walls are cut from thin strip stock, soldered to the backing plate, and trimmed level before the stone is fitted; the bezel is then burnished over the stone with a hand tool to secure it. Larger pieces may carry a central cabochon in a more substantial mount surrounded by petit point clusters in radiating bands.
Sleeping Beauty, Kingman, Lone Mountain, and other clear sky-blue turquoises have historically been preferred for petit point because their colour reads cleanly at small scale and they take a high polish; coral and jet are also used, the former giving the warm-red contrast familiar from many cluster pieces. The material requires careful selection — small cabochons amplify any matrix or colour inconsistency — and the calibration of stones from a single batch of rough is part of the maker's craft.
Identification
Petit point is recognisable by the teardrop cabochon form, the dense bezel-set arrangement, and the fineness of the silverwork around each stone. Genuine Zuni work is generally marked with the maker's stamp on the reverse; older pieces may be unmarked but can be attributed by family tradition and stylistic detail. Counterfeit and imitation petit point — typically of Asian or Mexican manufacture, with stamped settings and reconstituted or dyed material — circulates in the lower end of the tourist trade and can be distinguished by the lack of individual bezels, the use of single-piece backing rather than separate bezels for each stone, and the substitution of turquoise simulants such as block howlite, magnesite, or plastic.
In the trade
For collectors and the broader trade, the principal references are the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, which restricts the use of Indian made labelling to enrolled members of federally recognised tribes, and the certification programmes of organisations such as the Indian Arts and Crafts Association and the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (which runs the Santa Fe Indian Market). The Heard Museum's annual Indian Fair and Market and the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial are the principal venues for new Zuni work; secondary-market petit point passes through specialist dealers in Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Gallup, and Scottsdale.
Care
Petit point is more vulnerable than its appearance suggests. The individual stones are small and the bezels are correspondingly delicate; impacts can dislodge stones, and turquoise is sensitive to heat, oils, and household chemicals — particularly chlorine, perfume, and many cosmetics. We recommend storage flat in soft pouches, cleaning with a dry cloth or a barely damp soft brush, and avoiding ultrasonic and steam cleaning entirely. Older pieces with stabilised or back-set turquoise are particularly intolerant of solvents.