Four-strand White Shell and Turquoise Necklace
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- Category: Necklaces
- Origin: KEWA, Santo Domingo Pueblo
- Medium: Shell, Turquoise
- Size: 30”
- Item # C4063K
- Price: $395
Kewa Pueblo (formerly known as Santo Domingo Pueblo) is located approximately halfway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque along the Rio Grande. One of the first pueblos visited by the Spanish in the late 16th Century, residents have maintained many of their traditional practices. In addition to agriculture, the pueblo has a long history of producing, trading and selling pottery and jewelry. Today, jewelry artists at Kewa are known for their use of shell and stone to create beads called hieshe.
The creation of fine hieshe is a long and difficult process. After cutting and shaping the beads, holes are drilled. The beads are then smoothed out. Many Kewa artists recount stories from their childhood describing hours of sanding heishi for their elders. When the beads are sanded smoothly, they are then polished on a turning leather belt. The result is a necklace that hangs with a graceful flow.
Many hours were put into the creation of this four-strand turquoise and shell necklace. The artist randomly interspersed turquoise beads within the strands of cream colored shell. The four strands are wrapped together in a pueblo wrap. The necklace has a graceful flow as it hangs.
Condition: The Four-strand White Shell and Turquoise Necklace is in very good condition.
Provenance: The necklace is from the collection of the daughter of the Balcomb family who owned galleries in New Mexico and Arizona.
Recommended Reading: Indian Jewelry of the American Southwest by Sarah Peabody and William Turnbaugh
- Category: Necklaces
- Origin: KEWA, Santo Domingo Pueblo
- Medium: Shell, Turquoise
- Size: 30”
- Item # C4063K
- Price: $395
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