10 Strand Shell Heishi Necklace

This very fine necklace created by an unknown Santo Domingo artist is not some refinished concoction from the Phillipines.  

The shell cuts are very fine using the colors of each olive shell in a different and subtle way. The sun dapplied bands on either side of the necklace are gradual and have the soft edges of leaf shadows because spotted pieces of heishi are used to carefully transition from light to dark.  

This work is the result of months of labor.  When you love doing something, you don't measure time.  As with all the very best Native American personal adornment, there is no limit to its tasteful wardrobe applications!

Shells represent water, abundance and prosperity because they comes from water creatures.

The potters of Santo Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico are known for well-formed pottery decorated with dramatic stylized flora, often in combination with geometric designs.

Santo Domingo Pueblo also hosts jewelers with expertise in creating the finest heishi as well as shell overlay work. In the early years, some overlay work combined traditional turquoise, jet and shell with unorthodox modern materials such as poker chips and phonograph records.