Turquoise in Focus: Four Zuni Jewelry Highlights

Turquoise has a way of commanding attention, but in Zuni jewelry, the stone is only part of the story. The artistry lies in how it is cut, arranged, combined, and set. Fine Estate, Inc.’s Distinguished Objects Fine Auction, taking place Sunday, September 27, 2026, offers a particularly appealing group of Zuni turquoise jewelry among a broader mix of fine art, furniture, glass, silver, and jewelry. 

Zuni jewelry is especially known for intricate lapidary work. The Heard Museum points to mosaic patterns and delicate needlepoint designs using turquoise, jet, coral, and shell, while Smithsonian collection records document techniques including petit point or needlepoint, bezel setting, and mosaic and channel inlay. These four auction highlights show just how varied that language of stone and silver can be.

Zuni Turquoise Sterling Cuff by Jason and Pearl Ukestine (Lot 6)
The first standout is a bold cuff by Jason and Pearl Ukestine, built around sixty-eight round turquoise cabochons. The stones are spaced with silver spheres and framed by stampwork terminals and rolled borders, creating a dense, rhythmic surface. The bracelet is marked “JP Ukestine, Zuni.” With an estimate of $600–$800, it is a piece that makes its presence known without relying on a single oversized stone. 

What makes the cuff so striking is the repetition. Dozens of smaller cabochons placed in close succession turn turquoise itself into a pattern. The overall effect feels graphic, textural, and wonderfully turquoise-forward.

Don Dewa Multi-Stone Spinner Cuff Bracelet with Ring (Lot 7)
Don Dewa’s cuff and ring set takes a more complex approach. At the center is a spinning element designed as a Zuni mask; reversed, it reveals inlaid turquoise, jet, and spiny oyster shell. The cuff also incorporates mother-of-pearl, spiny oyster, jet, turquoise, and gold lip shell, producing a layered palette of blue, black, white, orange, and iridescent tones. 

It is a beautiful illustration of the possibilities of inlay: individual materials are cut and fitted together so that color and geometry become part of the design itself. Both the bracelet and ring are marked by Dewa, and the set carries the highest estimate of these four highlights at $1,500–$2,500. 

Zuni Turquoise Sterling Silver Watch Cuff and Watch Tips (Lot 8)
This lot brings turquoise jewelry into the realm of functional design. It includes a sterling silver watch cuff accented with inlaid turquoise, spiny oyster shell, and stampwork, together with a pair of needlepoint-style turquoise watch tips and a ladies Hamilton rolled-gold plate watch. 

The contrast between the broader inlay of the cuff and the slender turquoise elements of the watch tips offers a useful look at the range possible within Zuni stonework. Estimated at $300–$500, the lot does have condition points to note: the catalog states that two turquoise cabochons are missing from the watch tips and that the watch is not running. 

Mary Jane Comer Turquoise Watch Tips with Watch (Lot 9)
The final highlight is a pair of sterling silver watch tips by Mary Jane Comer, joined to a Timex Expedition wristwatch. Four oval turquoise cabochons are set into the tips and accented with applied silver spheres and stampwork; the tips are marked “MJC.” The lot is estimated at $300–$500. 

Compared with the dense setting of the Ukestine cuff or the multicolor inlay of the Don Dewa set, this piece feels more restrained. The larger oval stones allow the individual color and matrix of each piece of turquoise to stand out, while the surrounding silverwork adds texture and structure.

A Tradition Built on Detail
Taken together, these four lots make clear that “Zuni turquoise jewelry” is far from a single look. One piece builds drama through repeated cabochons, another through intricate multicolor inlay, while the watch pieces explore needlepoint-style stonework and simpler turquoise settings. What connects them is close attention to proportion, placement, and the relationship between stone and silver.

The Distinguished Objects Fine Auction offers a chance to see those differences side by side—and to appreciate turquoise not simply as a beautiful material, but as something transformed through highly skilled lapidary and silversmithing. For collectors drawn to craftsmanship, color, and jewelry with a strong sense of identity, these Zuni pieces are among the sale’s most memorable highlights.

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