Ed and Jennie Vicenti
Zuni
Of the Zuni jewelers still producing today, none has had a greater impact on both contemporary and traditional tastes than the husband and wife team of Edison and Jennie Vicenti. Upon completing their high school education, Ed and Jennie left Zuni country to pursue professional careers. Jennie became a nurse and started her nursing career in Arizona at the PHS Indian Hospital in Phoenix while Ed earned his bachelor's degree in electronics at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. As they were barely starting their careers, the Vicenti's fell under the influence of Jennie's parents, Buddy and Anita Hattie, who furnished Jennie with extensive training and inspiration. Jennie and Ed wanted to be different, to create their own style. Their experimentations in search of a new style led them to create a stone cut, named "needlepoint" for its shape and setting, that has predominated Zuni work. It has been over thirty years since the Vicentis began their career as jewelers. Ed recently retired from IBM after working there for twenty-eight years. He has devoted his energies to collaborating once again with Jennie full-time.