Sterling Silver and Spondylus Shell Earrings [SOLD]

Native artists of the American Southwest have used shell for adornment for over one thousand years. They traded with tribes from the south and all the way to the Gulf of California to obtain an assortment of shells of various hues. Without the modern addition of a sterling silver bezel and twisted wire frame, these earrings could have been made by the ancestors of today’s Pueblo people.

The unknown artist took two fabulous pieces of Spondylus (or Spiny Oyster) shell and fashioned them into triangles which were set into straight-edged bezels. The bezels were then set on a frame of twisted wire, creating a very classic look. They are post earrings and are only stamped “Sterling.” Since Diné artists as well as those from Kewa Pueblo both work in this style, it is questionable which to credit, however, based on the silverwork,  we have designated them as from a Diné artisan.

Condition:  The Sterling Silver and Spondylus Shell Earrings are in excellent condition.
Provenance: The earrings come from an extensive jewelry collection in Colorado.
Recommended Reading: Indian Jewelry of the American Southwest by Sarah Peabody and William Turnbaugh

Note: when we say Diné, as opposed to Navaho or Navajo, we are referring to the people and not the government.  Since 1969, their government refers to itself as the Navajo Nation.