CJ Wallace & Zuni vs Navajo

Let's talk about who C.J. Wallace was and the difference between Navajo and Zuni Jewelry. 

It is known that the Zunis learned how to make jewelry from the Navajos in around 1872. Initially the Zuni silverwork resembled a lot the Navajo silverwork till C.J. Wallace came into the picture in 1918.

C.J. Wallace was born in Richmond County, North Carolina and decided to come into Gallup, New Mexico at the age of 20. When he first arrived, he found a job at the Ilfeld Company to work at their trading post in Zuni, New Mexico. He was a fast learner and a very determined man - so as soon as he got his trading license at Zuni Pueblo, he went about to transform the lives of the Zuni people by encouraging them to produce high-quality silver jewelry with stone inlay, like turquoise.

To achieve that, Wallace brought the Zunis things that the Navajos did not have - like grinders to work on different cuts and shapes of stones, electricity, and good quality gemstones -- and somehow like this, the Zuni jewelry started possessing characteristics that were different from the Navajo jewelry.

Simply put, Zuni jewelry have a (1) better and way more intricate bezel work, (2) the stones they incorporate in their work are of finer quality and of consistent color, and often times, (3) you see crescent shape accents on their creations.

Whereas Navajo jewelry are (1) significantly heavier from Zuni jewelry, (2) the bezel set is not as fine nor intricate, (3) the colors between the stones are not as consistent, and (4) the stones they usually use are bigger that of what the Zuni use. 

Elizabeth Chestnut, former director of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center put it best: "One of C.J. Wallace main goals was to bring Zuni jewelry to the world" ....and so he did!

xxx Mirella