This is a finely made, semi-precious gemstone polished stone double strand fetish necklace and sterling silver cone by Zuni artist, Raymond Gaspar. This fetish necklace features a double strand of bear fetishes made from various natural stones. The art of carving decorative necklaces was first practiced by Pueblo and Zuni carvers. These necklaces are either one strand or multi-strands of strung together with a variety of small carved animal figures that are drilled and strung with shell or turquoise "heishi" beads. The fetish necklaces may be created by a single artist, a family of artists, or assembled by a group of artists who work together in a shop. Fetishes were originally carved by Native American tribes to ceremonially capture the spirit of the animal they represent. They were tied with offerings of shells, stones, or feathers, and were "fed" with corn pollen or other foods as an offering to the spirit of the fetish. The Zuni as well as other Pueblo tribes kept their fetishes in jars inside of their kivas, (a space used by Puebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with the Kachina belief system) and only brought them out only for specific ceremonies. Some fetishes are not carved for ceremonies, but for art; however, certain restrictions and taboos may be observed when created. The stones used in this necklace are azurite, mother of pearl, black onyx, red coral, blue gem turquoise, orange fire opal, green malachite and white quartz. It is strung with small heishi and turquoise barrel beads and the strands are capped with sterling cones with stamps reading, "RG Sterling". The piece shows good condition overall with no wear or damage present. It measures 26 3/4" from clasp to clasp and the bear fetishes measure from 3/8"L x 5/8"W to 7/8"L x 1"W. It has a total weight of 44.9 grams.*