North American Auction Company
Live Auction

Threads of the West: Native Beadwork, Navajo Textiles, Navajo Jewelry & Western Art

Sat, Jan 24, 2026 11:00AM EST
  2026-01-24 11:00:00 2026-01-24 11:00:00 America/New_York North American Auction Company North American Auction Company : Threads of the West: Native Beadwork, Navajo Textiles, Navajo Jewelry & Western Art https://live.naabid.com/auctions/north-american-auction/threads-of-the-west-native-beadwork-navajo-textiles-navajo-jewelry-western-art-22140
Join North American Auction Company on January 24th for Threads of the West: Native Beadwork, Navajo Textiles, Navajo Jewelry & Western Art Auction. This is a wonderful collection of Western History, Native American Beadwork and Weapons along with fine Navajo Jewelry, Americana and more. Visit Live.Naabid.com for more details or call 800-686-4216.
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Lot 9

Zuni Pauline Lonjose Sterling Inlay Sunface Bolo

Estimate: $1,200 - $1,600
Starting Bid
$425

Bid Increments

Price Bid Increment
$0 $5
$50 $10
$100 $25
$500 $50
$1,000 $100
$2,000 $250
$5,000 $500
$10,000 $1,000
$25,000 $2,500
$100,000 $5,000
Presented in this lot is this Stunning Zuni Pauline Lonjose Sterling Silver Multistone Inlay Sunface Bolo Tie. This impressive bolo tie features a wonderfully and professionally crafted sterling silver and intricate multistone Sunface inlay with Mother of Pearl, Sleeping Beauty turquoise, Ox Blood coral and Jet stones displaying very fine lapidary craftmanship. Black braided leather chord with silver tips and insets with Mother of Pearl, Sleeping Beauty turquoise and Jet stone inlays. Zuni artist Pauline Lonjose focuses on exquisite Sunface jewelry. She makes this traditional design in a variety of different styles. Like many Zuni artists, Pauline excels in lapidary skills including inlay, needlepoint, and petite point work. The Zuni Sunface is a significant symbol representing the sacred Sun Father, vital for the Zuni people's crops and daily life, depicted with a round face, rectangular eyes, a circular mouth, and radiating feathers, often with a forehead split in half (e.g., turquoise/coral) to symbolize sunrise/sunset or individuality within family. It signifies the sun's power to sustain life, bring joy, and represents the continuity of day and night, a core belief in Zuni culture. Zuni inlay jewelry history began with ancient lapidary traditions, evolving from shell/stone carving to incorporating silver in the late 1800s, heavily influenced by traders and Navajo techniques; by the early 1900s, Zuni artisans developed distinct styles like channel inlay, using tiny, precisely cut stones (turquoise, jet, coral) set into silver to create vibrant mosaic patterns. Mastery of turquoise, jet, shell, and coral allowed for vibrant color combinations and storytelling designs. The artist's hallmark signature is stamped on the reverse along with "Sterling". A truly amazing piece, the bolo is in very nice condition, rich patina noted throughout. Centre Sunface slide measures 3" diameter, the bolo overall measures 23"L from the back of the strand to the tips. Combined weight is 54.5 gms.

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