Rosella Shack's pipestone Owl with turquoise eyes is decorated with sgraffito treatment creating a lovely two-tone effect. Rich pipestone is a reddish argillaceous stone, basically fossilized clay. Many ages ago, clay was deposited on top of sand perhaps by a flood or other natural phenomenon and then quickly buried under more quartz sand. Pressure and heat transformed the sand into quartzite and the clay into pipestone which is why the softer pipestone is found between harder rock layers. Pipestone deposits are found around the country and they each have a unique chemical signature. But traces of the iron bearing mineral hematite give the stone its captivating red color.
Indigenous Peoples have been using pipestone since the beginning including in the making of pipes, hence the material's name. A Zuni Sunface is set from turquoise, jet, mother-of-pearl and coral symbolizing a balance between sky, earth and water, a harmonious environment. About 1 3/8" tall, 1 1/4" wide and 1 1/8" deep.
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