Our shopping trip to the Zuni reservation on Saturday is one we will long remember largely for two finds: 1) two Harry Morgan jewelry boxes which I'll feature in the next post, and 2) this fabulous Grandma fetish necklace. Yes, it the real thing. Grandmother Quandelacy carved the reversible corn maiden, then family members Faye, Georgian, Andres, Avery, Saundre, and Stuart (all Quandelacy offspring) submitted contributions to go into this piece of art which we were fortunate enough to acquire. The first grandmother necklace was so called because it was made as a gift to Ellen Quandelacy, the head of the family.It's beginning to look a lot like a museum around here. One of my friends who is a noted Western historian once told me that most the best pieces are in private collections. The museums tend to have aquire and display the common. This glorious piece is certain to end up in a private art collection and perhaps the public doman a century or more down the road.
