Sterling Silver and Shell Necklace [SOLD]

Shell jewelry has been a product of Santo Domingo Pueblo for hundreds of years. Combining shell and sterling silver is a more recent creation—probably no earlier than 1950. This necklace is comprised of three strands of beautiful striped hieshe with a pink coloration. The same shell was used in strips for the pendant. The variations in texture and coloration of the strips of shell provide a beautiful array as light bounces off the pendant. The shell strips are securely fastened together by a silver bezel that is attached to a flat silver backing platform.

Provenance: From the estate of Transcendental artist Florence Pierce of Albuquerque who passed away in 2007 at the age of 89. She was best known for luminescent paintings made of pigmented resins on reflective surfaces. Her interest in abstraction began in the 1930s when she was an associate of the Transcendental Painting Group. The New York Times called her “the doyenne of abstract art in the Southwest” following her art exhibit in New York City in 2006.