{"product_id":"derrick-and-nichelle-edaaki-inlay-concho-belt","title":"The Birds Who Remembered the Way - Derrick and Nichelle Edaakie Inlay Concho Belt","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDerrick \u0026amp; Nichelle Edaaki • Inlay Concho Belt\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe first thing I did was count the birds.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNot because I needed to.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBecause every time I looked down the belt I noticed another one doing something different.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne is perched.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne is flying.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne is upside down.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne is carrying something.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOne is looking back over its shoulder.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNone of them are repeated.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat’s when I realized this wasn’t a pattern.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt was a story.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYou don’t wear this belt all at once. People experience it one concho at a time, almost like turning the pages of a picture book. Every panel reveals another tiny moment, each one built from impossibly precise pieces of jet, turquoise, coral, shell, and stone.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt’s joyful.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat’s actually the word that kept coming back to me.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJoyful.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDerrick and Nichelle Edaaki have become some of the most celebrated contemporary Zuni artists working today because they combine extraordinary lapidary precision with unmistakable personality. Their work honors traditional Zuni inlay while feeling completely their own. You recognize an Edaaki piece almost immediately—not because it follows convention, but because it tells a story only they could have told.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eArtifact Registry\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArtifact:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Birds Who Remembered the Way\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaker:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Derrick \u0026amp; Nichelle Edaakie\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTribe:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Zuni Pueblo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDate:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Contemporary\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaterials:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Sterling Silver, Turquoise, Jet, Coral, Mother-of-Pearl, and Shell Inlay\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eForm:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Narrative Inlay Concho Belt\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e245.2 grams\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eConstruction:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Hand-fabricated sterling silver concho belt comprising individually inlaid circular conchos connected by handmade sterling links. Every panel features a unique bird rendered in traditional Zuni stone-to-stone inlay.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCollector’s Gallery Value:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e$9,500–11,500\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEstimated value for an equivalent example offered through a premier gallery specializing in Native American jewelry.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCurator’s Field Observation\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRather than repeating a single motif, each concho presents a distinct avian composition, transforming the belt into a continuous visual narrative. The exceptional precision of the inlay, the consistency across every panel, and the whimsical individuality of each bird demonstrate why Derrick and Nichelle Edaakie are regarded among the foremost contemporary Zuni inlay artists. Large narrative works of this complexity are exceptionally labor-intensive and seldom encountered.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHespera Field Guide\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSpecies:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Traveling Parliament\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMembers:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Fourteen extremely opinionated birds.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKnown For:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Never agreeing on the fastest route, yet always arriving together.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFavorite Activity:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Interrupting each other’s stories.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eField Note:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Every bird insists it’s the main character.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCollector Warning:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e You’ll eventually choose a favorite. It won’t stay your favorite for long.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEric’s Notes from the Field\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI think what I love most is that nobody rushed this.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYou simply can’t.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEvery feather.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEvery eye.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEvery little leaf.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEvery tiny piece of shell.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSomeone sat down and fit those pieces together one at a time until they disappeared into the picture.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat’s one of the things I admire most about Zuni inlay at this level.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt asks for patience.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd when artists like Derrick and Nichelle are the ones doing the asking…\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe result feels effortless.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hespera Jewelry Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47784978743473,"sku":null,"price":8995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0153\/9641\/files\/The_Birds_Who_Remembered_the_Way_-_Derrick_and_Nichelle_Edaaki_Inlay_Concho_Belt.webp?v=1785345193","url":"https:\/\/hespera.com\/products\/derrick-and-nichelle-edaaki-inlay-concho-belt","provider":"Hespera Jewelry Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}