Glossary

Acequias (gravity flow irrigation ditches) are the oldest extant water delivery system in the Southwestern United States and remain a vital cultural aspect of traditional village live in northern New Mexico.

A very hard, semiprecious stone with a striped or variegated pattern.

The fossilized resin of conifer trees. The most common colors are honey yellow and various shades of red, but Amber can also be off-white, black, and blue. Amber is easily simulated using plastics, but real amber produces static electricity when rubbed. The word electricity comes from the Greek word for amber, “electron”.

Amethyst is the most highly valued gemstone in the quartz family and is found in a range of colors from violet to pale red-violet.

Technically, an amphora is an ancient two-handled jar, but glassblowers use the term to refer to a classical vase form, specifically with a “waisted” bottom. Amphorae is the plural spelling.

A popular design, representing the water serpent, often seen in Native American art of the Southwest, particularly pottery, signifying the prayer for and representation of water, critical for life in the desert.

Aventurine is a translucent to opaque variety of microcrystalline quartz. It contains small inclusions of shiny minerals which give the stone a sparkling effect known as aventurescence. Inclusions of mica will give a silverish sheen, while inclusions of hematite give a reddish or grayish sparkle. Aventurine ranges in color from green, peach, brown, blue and a creamy green.

Azurite is a beautiful copper-based blue mineral that is often used in jewelry. The color ranges from very deep blue to pale blue. Azurite has also been used as a dye for paints and luxury fabrics.

A stiff bracelet that clasps on or slips over the wrist.

The top, forward facing rim or edge of a ring which holds the stone, now commonly used to describe an entire ring setting.

A style of pottery developed about 1919 by Maria and Julian Martinez of San Ildefonso Pueblo. It is characterized by two shades of black – one highly polished, the other matte or not shiny.

Glasswork produced by the process of gathering molten glass onto the end of a blowpipe and forming it into a variety of shapes by blowing air through the blowpipe and manipulating the glass as it is rotated.

A western style men’s tie, most commonly made of a braided piece of leather that loops around the neck and is fastened in front with a decorative fastener that slides up and down the leather as the wearer wishes.

A gemstone cut into a teardrop shape, with long triangular facets.

Specific to Catholicism, bulto is the Spanish word for three-dimensional, religious carved wood figures. Catholic saints are most commonly depicted.

A gemstone without facets that has a highly polished and rounded surface with a flat back. Stones normally finished with this technique are opal, moonstone, star ruby, sapphire and turquoise. Also called a “carbuncle.”

A pale to deep red or reddish-brown variety of clear chalcedony.

A family of colored quartz stones including agate, onyx, carnelian, cats eye, and jasper that commonly have a milky or waxlike luster. When chalcedony is variegated with spots or figures, or arranged in differently colored layers, it is called agate; and if by reason of the thickness, color, and arrangement of the layers it is suitable for being carved into cameos, it is called onyx.

Channel set jewels rest in a metal channel, held in only by a slight rim, which runs along the edges of the channel. Channel set jewels are usually round or baguette shaped.

Charoite is a rare and expensive mineral only found in Russia. It has a soft shade of purple to deep purple. Ribbons of a translucent cream color mineral runs through most pieces of Charoite.

Chrysoprase is a brittle, translucent, semiprecious chalcedony that is a bright apple-green color.

A pale yellow variety of crystalline quartz resembling topaz. While its name refers to a lemon yellow color, citrine can be found in a range of yellows from light yellow to dark yellow and golden brown.

Cloisonné is a method of applying enamel to metal in which the design is first outlined on the metal surface using a metal wire. The space between the wires is filled with enamel and then fired to a glassy sheen.

Also referred to as a concho. One of the ovals of a segmented silver belt or bridle. It also refers to the belt itself which is now commonly called a “Concha Belt.” From the Spanish word ”concha” meaning “shell.”

Copal is a type of resin produced from plant sap, often from members of the genus Copaifera. The term is particularly identified with the aromatic tree resins used by the cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica as ceremonially burned incense and other purposes. [1] More generally, the term copal describes resinous substances in an intermediate stage of polymerization and hardening between more “gummy” resins and amber. [2] The word copal is derived from the Nahuatl language word copalli, meaning “incense”. To the pre-Columbian Maya and contemporary Maya peoples it is known in the various Mayan languages as pom (or a close variation thereof.)

Most African amber, also called copalite is not the true European (Baltic) or South American fossilized pine tree resin Amber. Some were made from complicated mixtures of synthetic resin barrel beads, which were imported from Europe from the late 1800’s onwards, to be fashioned into their many diverse designs by African craftsmen. There are also many regional variations, which are locally known as amber, to be found all over Africa … made from a variety of materials. Amongst the types on the market today there are some very old, difficult to find, increasingly valuable and highly collectable copalite or imitation amber.

Coral is formed from the skeletons of tiny sea creatures. The most valuable type of coral is red coral, because of its rarity. Like some pearls, it must be harvested from large bodies of water and is found at depths of 10-1020 feet in the sea. Coral can be carved into beautiful pieces of jewelry, or tumbled into beads for stringing. Do not clean this stone in abrasive gem cleaner, use a polishing cloth.

A bracelet in semi rigid form open on one side allowing the wrist to pass through instead of over the hand

A jewelry making technique in which the chalky internal shell of a cuttlefish, cuttlebone, is used as a mold material for metal castings. The result s a wavy, striated surface. Powdered cuttlebone is used as a polishing compound.

This opaque light brown jasper from Utah is spotted with brown and black like the famous fire-station dogs.

A thin metallic coating on any type of glass; the coating is applied at a high temperature in a vacuum chamber. The resulting effect is the exhibition of one color in refracted light and another in transmitted light.

Dolomite, which is named for the French mineralogist Deodat de Dolomieu, is a common sedimentary rock-forming mineral that can be found in massive beds several hundred feet thick. After calcite, dolomite is the second most important and abundant of the carbonate minerals.

Any crystal quartz stone that is covered with a large number of minute crystals, giving it a sparkling effect.

Among the tribal groups of the southwest, the most noted for the carving of fetishes are the Zuni. Fetishes are representations of living creatures carved of stone, shell, antler, wood or other natural materials. They are used for ceremonial and secular purposes and each fetish is believed to have a spirit within.

Filagree is gold or silver wire that have been twisted into patterns and soldered into place. Openwork filagree is not soldered onto a sheet of metal and is difficult to make. Imitation filagree is made of stamped metal.

A Fire Cloud is an irregular discoloration on the exterior of pottery. It is the result of the piece being to near another object during the open-pit firing process. The proximity of the two pieces of pottery did not allow the air to flow between them properly during the firing, and a carbon “cloud” was formed in the area where the two items were closest to each other. Where there is a fire cloud the pot is said to have been kissed by the fire.

Fluorite is a mineral that comes in many colors, including purple, colorless, red, pink, yellow, green, blue, black, and multi-colored stones. Crystals are transparent to translucent.

An earring back style, especially for dangling or drop earrings, that is a curved wire resembling a fish hook.

Freshwater pearls are produced by a mollusk that inhabits fresh water as opposed to sea water. These pearls are usually shaped like an uneven grain of rice and unlike the saltwater oyster, which normally produces only one or two pearls, each mussel can simultaneously produce many. Natural freshwater pearls are found in a variety of colors including blue, lavender, violet, rose and gray.

Glass that has been heated in a kiln to the point where two separate pieces are permanently joined as one without losing their individual color.

A family of crystals; the name is derived from their resemblance to red pomegranate seeds. This semiprecious stone is usually a reddish-brown color but can range from pink or red to violet or blackish red, and even orange or green. Often semi-opaque.

Gaspeite is a relatively rare mineral, found only in a few localities. Its light green, almost apple green color is quite unique and some varieties are almost a neon green. It may contain brownish patches which may give it a distinctive character.

A gemstone is a mineral, stone, or organic matter that can be cut and polished or otherwise treated for use as jewelry or other ornament. A precious gemstone has brilliance, beauty, durability and rarity, whereas a semi-precious gemstone has only one or two of these qualities. Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, aquamarine, opal and topaz are generally classed as precious stones. All other gemstones are usually classed as semi-precious.

Gold is a precious metal that is very soft when pure and is the most malleable and ductile (able to be made into wire) metal. 24 karats denotes 100% pure gold, but it is usually alloyed to make it less expensive and harder. Any karat value below 24 is the amount of pure gold that occupies the gold jewelry alloy. For example, 18 karat equals 18/24ths of pure gold which is 75% gold. Likewise, 14 karat equals 14/24ths of pure gold which is 58.5% gold. The remaining mixture of non-gold metals are not very important in determining value, but are primarily used to increase strength and vary color in gold jewelry. The most popular karatage for jewelry in the US and Europe are 14k and 18k.

A process of building up the walls of a pot by adding successive rope-like coils of clay. In the coil-and-scrape method, used by Pueblo potters, the walls of the pot are thinned, shaped, and smoothed by scraping with a smooth tool.

The oldest form of jewelry in New Mexico, heishi literally means shell, and specifically refers to pieces of shell that have been drilled and ground into beads and strung together to form a flexible necklace, often of graduated size. Today Heishi is also made of semi-precious gemstones like coral, turquoise and lapis. A string of good heishi will have a uniform consistency. If you gently pull it through your hand, it should feel like a single serpent-like piece.

Howlite is a soft, white to gray mineral that takes dye very easily. Howlite was named for its discoverer, Henry How, a Nova Scotia geologist.

An Icon is equivalent to Holy Scripture. It is a two-way door of communication, a window into heaven. Just as Scripture is the "Living Word", Icons are the "Living Art".

Metal that is cast into a bar or other shape.

Inlay is the result of a process that combines a variety of stones and attaching them to one another with mastic. The combined stone is then cut and polished to look like one piece. Any stones can be combined to achieve different results.

Also called cordierite, iolite is a silicate of aluminum and magnesium. Its name is derived from the Greek ios (violet) and lithos (stone). Iolite is sometimes called water sapphire because of its color. The color is mostly purplish-blue and very strong in one direction, changing to pale grayish-blue to nearly colorless or yellowish as the stone is turned. Transparent to translucent, inclusions are very common.

Navajo for earrings or ear-strings. Jaclas are small loops of strung gemstone or shell beads that originally were worn as earrings, but are now primarily worn as looped pendants on stone gemstone or shell necklaces.

An opaque semiprecious gemstone which is usually found in shades of green, but can be also be found in lavender and rose shades. Two different minerals are known as jade: jadeite and nephrite. Jadeite is the harder of the two; it is usually used in jewelry production. Nephrite is slightly softer and is often veined; it is used in carvings, for making beautiful bowls and vases. The Chinese have prized jade for thousands of years and regarded it as having medicinal properties.

An opaque variety of quartz, reddish, brown, green, or yellow in color, used for ornamentation or as a gemstone.

Jet, also known as gagate, is fossilized coal. It is a hard, lightweight lustrous black stone that is warm to the touch.

Kachina (or Katsina) are the spiritual guardians of the Hopi people and their way of life, as they embody the spirits of the natural world. Kachinas preserve harmony and insure human, animal and plant fertility, thus insuring life itself. The Hopi carve likenesses of Kachinas from cottonwood root to teach children about the Kachina spirits, thus their common name, Kachina Dolls.

The measure used to express the purity of gold, 24 karat being the highest or purest. An alloy of one-half pure gold and one-half other metal would be expressed 12 karat. Not to be confused with carat, a unit of measure used to determine the weight of gemstones.

In many Indian tribes and pueblos of the American Southwest, the Koshare clown, a legendary figure, represents the humorous and mischievous as well as unpredictable aspect of the psyche. The clowns are often painted with or wear black and white stripes.

The kukui nut is a tropical nut grown for its very emollient oil and for its decorative, large brown nuts used as beads in jewelry making. The Hawaiian word “kukui” means “enlightened”.

Also known as spectrolite, it is a variety of feldspar and is a fairly abundant grayish mineral. It has brilliant flashes of color (usually green, blue or red) after it is polished, which is called labradorescence. The crystals are transparent to translucent.

The technique of manipulating glass by heating it with a small flame. An open flame is advantageous in very detailed work.

A strong blue, sometimes with a hint of violet, lapis lazuli’s value decreases with the presence of white patches (calcite), while small veins of pyrite are often prized. It is one of the most valuable semi opaque stones.

A lobster clasp is a jewelry fastener that resembles the claw of a lobster. A tiny spring keeps the arm of this clasp closed. It is used to attach to other rings or links of a necklace or bracelet.

A casting technique in which a carved wax model is placed in a container that is then filled with investment plaster. After the plaster hardens, the container is fired to melt or evaporate (lose) the wax. The result is a plaster mold suitable for casting metal or molten plastic.

Mabe (pronounced mah-bay) pearls are large, cultured pearls that grow attached to the inside shells of oysters so that only half a pearl is formed resembling a half-sphere.

Malachite is an opaque semi-precious stone with layers of deep green and light green. It is usually found in copper mines; malachite is about 57% copper. Malachite was used as jewelry thousands of years ago by the ancients Egyptians.

Patterns or imagery developed by joining various colored alloys, such as of bronze, copper and silver, adjacent to one another. See Mokume Gane for the Japanese technique.

Clay containing tiny flakes of mica, giving pottery made with it a sparkling surface.

Meaning miracle in Spanish, a milagro is a small silver or gold votive offering in the shape of an arm, leg, eyes and other body parts; animals, fruits, vegetables, etc. Milagros are often attached to statues of saints or to the walls of certain churches -- and now are also found as components in necklaces, earrings and other jewelry.

Japanese for “wood grain.” A Japanese metal-working technique of married metals, in which sheets of metal are fused together and then forged, rolled, formed and filed to create a “wood grain” or other pattern. This technique was developed by a samurai sword maker, Denbei Shoami, in the 17th century.

Moonstone belongs to the large mineral family of feldspars. It is an opalescent stone which can range from colorless to blue, peach, green, pink, yellow, brown or gray with a silvery sheen. Clarity ranges from transparent to translucent. Moonstone is the most valuable form of feldspar.

The process of creating a design or picture by embedding small pieces of glass, gemstone, terracotta etc.

Mudheads are a well-known Hopi Kachina. They are considered clowns and engage the audience during dances.

Pictures or designs created in slices of glass that have been formed by bundling and fusing colored glass rods (canes) together and then pulling the hot glass to a very small diameter. When cut into wafers, each piece bears the original pattern in miniature.

The centerpiece of a squash blossom necklace that is a crescent-shaped pendant of Moorish derivation.

The Spanish word for pot or jar, traditionally used for storing water or grain. The word is used to denote Pueblo pottery pots which have a round base and flared mouth opening.

Onyx is a chalcedony quartz that has a fine texture and black color; however some onyx also displays white bands or ribbons against a black or brown background and this variety is known as sardonyx.

Precious opal is milky white, or black, with a brilliant interplay of colors, commonly red, blue, and yellow. Opal is transparent to opaque. Its luster can be vitreous to resinous, waxy or pearly, though vitreous is the most common.

Exhibiting a milky iridescence like that of an opal.

A decorative technique involving two flat pieces of silver, or other metal. The top piece has a design cut out of it and is highly polished. The bottom layer is darkened with oxidation to provide good contrast to the design on the top piece when the two pieces are soldered together.

The process of chemical alteration that occurs when certain minerals come into contact with oxygen. The result is a darkening or coloring of the metal. Can be accelerated or controlled for effect.

An organic gem grown within oysters and other mollusks when they produce nacre (a shiny, iridescent substance) as a reaction to an irritant. A good sized pearl can take between five to eight years to form, which is usually the entire life of the oyster or mollusk. Pearls are most valuable when they are perfectly round.

Peridot is the gem variety of olivine and has been mined as a gemstone for thousands of years. Legend says that peridot was one of the favorite gemstones of Cleopatra and that some of the “emeralds” worn by her were actually peridot.

Picasso Marble is found in Utah and is identifiable by its striking and dramatic combination of browns, blacks, grays and white colors, each piece is different. When cut en cabochon the stones often have a scenic appearance and look like forest trees or hillsides in winter.

Pietersite was discovered by Sid Pieters in 1962 while he was prospecting farmland in Namibia. Known as the “tempest stone”, it has combinations of Golden Brown and deep Blue-Gray colors with iridescent highlights.

A traditional process in which ceramics or pottery are fired in a pit in the ground, as opposed to a kiln.

A painted or glazed pottery surface of three or more colors. Even if one of the additional colors is not part of the decorative field (for example, a red rim top on an other wise black-on-tan bowl) the vessel is still classed as polychrome.

Quartz is the family name for crystals composed of silica or silicon dioxide occurring in hexagonal crystals, which come in many forms. The most common variety is colorless and transparent. This is often referred to as Clear Quartz, Rock Crystal or simply Quartz. The crystalline varieties include: amethyst, aventurine, citrine, rose quartz, and smoky quartz, and many others. There are a variety of crypto-crystalline varieties including agate (chalcedony), onyx, carnelian, chrysoprase, bloodstone, jasper, and prase. Quartz is an essential constituent of granite, forms the rocks quartzite and makes most of the sand of the seashore.

A long, hollow tube, usually wood or bamboo, filled with small baubles such as beads or beans and has small pins arranged in a spiral pattern on its inside surface. When the stick is upended, the beads fall to the other end of the tube, making a sound reminiscent of rain fall as they bounce off the pins. A rainstick is generally used to create atmospheric sound effects or as a percussion instrument. It is considered to have been invented by Chilean natives in South America, and was played in the belief that it could bring about rainstorms.

A technique of rapidly firing low-temperature ceramic ware. Raku firings were used traditionally in Japan to make bowls for tea ceremonies.

An ancient process in which sheet metal is hammered into contours from both the front and the back.

Specific to Catholicism, retablo is the Spanish word for a religious painting on wood panels. Catholic saints are most commonly depicted.

An ancient and still widely used metal casting method in which moistened sand is packed against a model to make a mold.

Traditional sandpainting (most notably practiced by the Navajos) is considered a ritual that lasts many days, is performed by a Medicine Man, and results in the creation and destruction of many sandpaintings. Made of sand pigmented with natural materials and minerals, the sandpaintings for commercial sale contain important (and appropriate) errors, as the real sandpaintings are considered sacred.

The trade name for a woman who is a bulto carver and/or retablo painter.

The trade name for a man who is a bulto carver and/or retablo painter.

Serafinite is found only in Eastern Siberia, Russia. These rare gemstones are primarily a deep green color, with feathery inclusions of silver-colored iridescent formations creating intricate chatoyant, or star, patterns.

The name serpentine refers to a group of predominately green minerals that occur in masses of tiny inter grown crystals. The two main types used in jewelry are bowenite (translucent green or blue-green) and the rarer williamsite (translucent, oily green, veined or spotted with inclusions).

A decorative pottery making process. A line is scratched through a layer of slip or glaze before firing to expose the clay underneath. From the Italian, meaning literally “to scratch.”

A pottery fragment. Also referred to as a shard.

An element known for its purity, malleability and bright shine. Because pure silver is relatively soft, it is usually alloyed with a small amount of copper to make sterling.

A fine, liquid form of clay applied to the surface of a pottery vessel prior to firing. Slip fills in pores and gives a uniform color.

A snake chain (also called a Brazilian chain) is a metal chain made up of a series of small, linked cups.

Sodalite is a dark blue mineral with streaks of white, gray, pink, or green. It is used for carvings and jewelry. Sodalite is one of the mineral components of lapis lazuli.

Spondylus (formally spondylus brodnip princess) is also called spiny oyster shell. It is found in the Sea of Cortez off Baja California, Mexico. The shell comes in three main colors: red, orange, purple, and sometimes white and yellow. The shell acquired the name “princess” when Cortez presented his marine discoveries to the king of Spain, and the king’s daughter fell in love with the lovely spiny oyster. It was the shell most loved by the Mayan people, and has been found in abundance in archeological excavations of the Anasazi, Mogollon and Hohokam of Southwest. In 1976, Native Americans of the Southwest began to export purple spiny oyster shells for jewelry making, popularizing their use.

Spondylus (formally spondylus brodnip princess) is also called spiny oyster shell. It is found in the Sea of Cortez off Baja California, Mexico. The shell comes in three main colors: red, orange, purple, and sometimes white and yellow. The shell acquired the name "princess" when Cortez presented his marine discoveries to the king of Spain, and the king's daughter fell in love with the lovely spiny oyster. It was the shell most loved by the Mayan people, and has been found in abundance in archeological excavations of the Anasazi, Mogollon and Hohokam of Southwest. In 1976, Native Americans of the Southwest began to export purple spiny oyster shells for jewelry making, popularizing their use.

A silver bead resembling a squash blossom or pomegranate. Squash blossoms are often used with plain beads in Navajo and other Southwest Pueblo necklaces and earrings. The design is probably derived from Mexican or Spanish prototypes.

(ceramics) A method of decoration by pushing objects against plastic clay. (leather) A technique using handmade or commercial metal stamps of damp leather to create a pattern, or to depress the background of a carved piece. (metal) The technique of impressing shapes and textures through hardened tools called punches.

A pottery making process of producing a polished, shiny surface by rubbing a smooth stone over the surface of pots or bowls after the application of a clay slip.

The person acknowledged within the Native American community as the one who verbally passes on historical and cultural beliefs. Helen Cordero, of Cochiti Pueblo, was the first to depict a storyteller, surrounded by children, in clay. Today, clay storytellers are a popular pottery tradition.

A traditional Spanish Colonial technique in which pieces of straw are fastened to a wooden surface to form an intricate design or picture. The craft evolved from a desire to emulate the gold inlayed crosses made in Europe.

Sugilite is one of the newest and rarest gemstone materials known to man. Its rich shades of purple instantly made it an extremely sought after and respected gemstone. The polished stones are mostly opaque with a waxy luster and a deep reddish purple color. It has been described as a purple turquoise even though there is no relation between the two minerals.

Tinwork, like so many of New Mexico’s folk arts, is the product of geographic isolation, creativity and simple ingenuity. What is now New Mexico was colonized by the Spanish in 1598, and many Spanish Colonial art forms thrive here today. Spanish Colonial tinwork originated in the 1800s when the US Army started bringing food supplies in large tins, before that metal was scarce and many Spanish silversmiths’ skills lay dormant because of the lack of raw materials. The tins coming across the Old Santa Fe Trail provided the silversmiths with materials to make decorative and functional tin objects that approximated the silver work made in Spain. Today, tinsmithing is a thriving and well-preserved art form practiced by descendents of the original Spanish colonists.

The name topaz comes from the Sanskrit and means fire. Topaz occurs in a wide range of colors including red, orange, peach, pink, gold, yellow, brown and clear. Naturally pale to medium blue topaz is enhanced by irradiation to produce a more intense blue color.

The name turquoise is related to the fact that it was brought to Europe from the Eastern Mediterranean by Levantine traders, more commonly known as Turks. It has been used as a valuable ornament for ages and including the Egyptians thousands of years ago. The color is, of course, turquoise, but ranges in color from green and greenish blue to sky blue shades. For centuries, the most valuable turquoise came from Persia, but today specimens mined in China and the southwestern United States compete with it.

A yei is a Navajo god that is central to their religion. A yei can come in many forms, as the kachinas do in the Hopi religion.