Three Strand Necklace of 83 Carved Birds with Shell Heishi
David Tsikewa
- Item Purchased
- Savvy Price $3,200.00
- Gallery Price $3,800.00
- Title
- Three Strand Necklace of 83 Carved Birds with Shell Heishi
- Artist
- David Tsikewa
- Medium
- Abalone of red, black and silver, pearl sheel of golden and rose lip oysters, serpentine of solid greens, mottled greys and banded green, ironwood, olivella shell, sterling silver
- Size
- Necklace strand lengths are 26", 27" and 27 1/8". Birds are slightly graduated. The largest birds are 1 3/8" X 5/16" X 1/4" wide, reducing to 1" X 1/4" X 3 /32".
- Date of creation
- 1950's - 1960's
- Condition
- Excellent
- Description
- There is a great deal more to the art of this joyous necklace than the mere carving of shapes. Each bird has a part to perform based on the specific material selected and its positioning in the group. Some are quiet, providing a solid color or neutral companionship. Others have two sides--one of solid or mottled hue, the other chatoyant and bright, enlivened by light.
- Provenance
- Fa Ke
- About The Three Strand Necklace of 83 Carved Birds with Shell Heishi
Each bird is individually hand carved. Using a saw to rough out the piece of chosen material, the bird is shaped, then refined on a grinding wheel. Files and other tools are employed for the fine details.
The eyes are drilled and filled. A "soft" finish is created with use of a buffing wheel.
Abalone of red, black and silver, pearl sheel of golden and rose lip oysters, serpentine of solid greens, mottled greys and banded green. All these materials, including a chocolate brown ironwood, Mr. Tsikewa incorporated to create this handsome, cheerful flock of many colors.
They are strung on nylon cord with olivella shell heishi between them. All three strands are gathered at each end into hand-crafted cones made of sheet sterling silver, tied off with a silver wire wrap to which is attached a hand-fabricated hook and eye clasp of the same drawn wire.
- About David Tsikewa
- Known to have collaborated with Preston Monongye, Tsikewa was known for his mosaic inlay jewelry, his fetish necklaces and free-standing fetishes. This Zuni artisan was the son-in-law of Teddy Weahkee. The Jewels of the Southwest exhibition held at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Sante Fe, New Mexico in 2002 included Tsikewa's work.
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