Zuni Ricky Laahty Frog Fetish, Opal. 9.2 ct, Tiny-Mini-Micro-Miniature, Pre-2000

Description

NOTE: All prices are in USD.
Well, look at this — Frog is sitting on a Lily Pad in the form of a shiny US penny! This listing offers a signed Ricky Laahty classic Tiny-Mini-Micro-Miniature Frog fetish, carved as only Ricky Laahty can carve! He is known for his Frog fetishes, each carved from stone and shell with an abundance of realistic details and whimsical expressions. This Frog fetish is carved from natural Australian Andamooka opal matrix. Flecks of opal fire can be seen as the fetish in hand is rotated in the light. One listing photo shows this opal play of colors.
This Frog fetish weighs a mere 9.2 carats — that is less than the smaller of J.Lo’s various engagement diamonds!!!!! It is rare to list a fetish by the carat rather than by linear measurements — that is how unique Ricky Laahty’s tiny fetishes are. They are real SHOW STOPPERS!
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Ricky is a Zuni fetish carver of worldwide fame. Ricky won First Place in Fetish category at Santa Fe Indian Market in 2012. He also won first place at Santa Fe in Traditional Pueblo Fetish category in 2012 and 2013. In addition he has brought home numerous other awards and recognitions. His fetishes are in museums and galleries worldwide.
This fetish has been in the family collection since before 2000. We purchased (or traded opal, I don’t recall) for it at the Zuni Pueblo. It can be an excellent start of your collection of Zuni fetishes, or be a unique beautiful addition to your already impressive collection. It is likely to be the smallest fetish in your collection.
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Zuni fetishes are animal carvings that have been integral to the Zuni culture for thousands of years. The animal a fetish depicts represents that animal’s “special medicine”. To the Zuni, Frog is a common fetish, a bringer of rains, abundance and fertility. Frog is most often associated with water and prayers for rain. A fetish is the physical embodiment of a living spirit and believed to have a spirit as if it were alive. A person must be mindful and respect the spirit of the animal that the fetish signifies. The Zuni feel that it is the spirit within the fetish that is of value, not the object itself. The Zunis regard ceremonial fetishes in carefully directed manners; the fetish must be nurtured in ways that include offerings of cornmeal. It is believed that the care a fetish receives is proportional to the protection it provides.
None of the strict Zuni guidelines apply to non-ceremonial fetishes as we offer here. Fetishes widely available for sale today are non-ceremonial, as they have not been blessed by a medicine man. These fetishes are nothing more than carvings, and are sold as contemporary Native American art.
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OUTBACK OZ OPAL
Outback Oz Opal began as a two-Geologist family unit in the middle of a street in Coober Pedy, South Australia where we bought from a gem cutter some finished Opal stones and rough Opal to cut and sell in the US. Subsequent Opal purchases of rough and finished stones were made at the Tucson, AZ Gem and Mineral Show where we developed some valuable friendships with Australian miner-cutter vendors. We learned so much about grading and cutting from them. Eventually we were able to purchase the bulk of our Opal off the kitchen table at our Flagstaff home from miner-cutter dealers who routed through on the gem show circuit (Albuquerque, Durango, Denver, etc). Ultimately one miner stored hundreds of pounds of his rough in a SeaLand container on our property to avoid the expense of returning with unsold goods to Australia.
For several years we sold Opal under the name Outback Oz Opal in Flagstaff, AZ. We sold on eBay and locally to Native American artists on the nearby Reservation. Additionally we travelled each month to Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico where we sold from the back of our pickup truck parked “under the tree”. What a dream hobby for two Geologists! But, as is always the case, life happened — a great job opportunity for the Dad in another state and Military service for the Grandson, who had grown up in the business and cut his first Opal fetish when he was in Kindergarten.
We are starting again to sell our opal online, as OutbackOzOpal on Another selling platform as well as OznAzOpal on eBay. Thank you for looking at our listings and for trusting Outback Oz Opal.