How to Care for Your Zuni Fetish Carving

by Troy Sice June 26, 2026

You've brought home a piece of living Zuni tradition. Now, how do you care for it?

Zuni fetish carvings are durable works of art, but like all handmade pieces, they benefit from thoughtful handling and storage. Whether your carving is made from elk antler, stone, or shell, a few simple practices will keep it looking beautiful for years — and generations — to come.

Handling Your Fetish Carving

Always handle your carving with clean, dry hands. Natural oils from your skin can affect certain materials over time, particularly shell and softer stones such as Turquoise. When picking up a carving, support it fully rather than gripping it by a delicate feature like a tail, ear or by the offering bundle. If you must, use soft white cotton gloves. Some people are allergic to Latex rubber gloves. So, use Nitrile Exam gloves instead.

Displaying Your Fetish Carving

Keep carvings out of direct sunlight, which can fade colors and dry out organic materials like antler and bone. Some stones get to hot and crack in direct sunlight. Handling hot carvings can burn your hands.
Avoid placing carvings near heat sources such as fireplaces, radiators, or heating vents.
Display on a stable surface where they won't be knocked over.
A small display stand can showcase your carving beautifully while keeping it secure.
A display case with glass doors or sliders are great as well, if you have pets. Cats like to climb on everything and dogs are attracted to antler/bone.

Storing Your Fetish Carving

If you need to store a carving, wrap it individually in soft, acid-free tissue paper or a soft cloth. Store in a cool, dry place away from humidity and temperature extremes. Never store carvings in plastic bags, which can trap moisture.

Cleaning Your Fetish Carving

For stone carvings, a soft dry cloth is usually all that's needed.
For shell carvings, avoid water and cleaning products — a dry soft clean cloth works best.
For elk antler carvings, use a dry clean cloth to gently wipe.
For fragile parts on carvings such as a offering bundles, gently use cotton swabs, soft pipe cleaners to get into hard to reach spots. This would be for dusting the carving only.
Never use chemical cleaners, polishes, or ultrasonic cleaners on any fetish carving.

Questions? We're Here.

If you ever have questions about caring for a specific piece, reach out to Troy and Ray directly at (505) 280-3197 or dragonflys_trail@icloud.com. They know their materials intimately and are always happy to help.