Antique Vintage Sterling Silver Native Santo Domingo Pueblo Bird Necklace 20.7g

  
We have similar Native and Pueblo Santo Domingo items, which would pair nicely with this piece, for sale this week. Listing Description by: Angela A. Age Circa: Antique Native Pueblo Santo Domingo C. Markings: Unmarked, tested, and guaranteed. Country of Origin: United States, Pueblo Nation. Gram Weight: 20.7 grams. Main Stone: Mother of pearl.

Length: 17.62 mm to 23.22 mm. Width: 6.09 mm to 6.52 mm.

Color: lustrous blue-green and white hues. Accent Stone: Red branch coral, stone. Red branch coral: 6.27 mm to 12.1 mm long, 2.96 mm to 4.53 mm wide, opaque bright red hue.

Shell: 2.36 mm to 2.72 mm diameter, 0.78 mm to 3.91 mm depth, opaque cream and brown hues. Stone Treatment: The stone(s) appear to be untreated, but we are not certified gemologists. Stone(s) have been tested and guaranteed using a professional Presidium Duo refractive, heat, and hardness tester. Stone Cuts: Polished mother of pearl bird carvings, polished branch coral, carved and polished shell beads. Length of second strand : 23.75. Closure/Clasp Type: Hook and figure eight clasp. Link Type: Red coral and shell and carved mother of pearl stones on wire.

Handmade by a talented Pueblo artisan located in Santa Domingo Pueblo (now Kewa Pubelo), New Mexico, in the 1950s. Features two strands of long wire adorned with a multitude of mother of pearl stones, red branch coral, and shell heishi beads. The mother of pearl stones were expertly carved into the likeness of bird fetishes. These bird motifs contain lustrous blue-green and white hues. Each bright red branch coral stone was carefully drilled through the center and strung horizontally on the wire.

Many shell heishi beads were carved into small disks and accent the spaces between the coral and mother of pearl. The ends of the strands are adorned with hand-hammered stamped designs on sterling silver caps. Finished with a hook and figure eight clasp for secure wear.

There are minor chips from several of the shell beads, which does not affect wear. There is some tarnish on the sterling silver, giving the necklace a lovely antique quality. This listing is for the item only. This beautiful piece was made by a very talented Native American silversmith. It features handcrafted silversmith work throughout. Antique Native American jewelry is very rare to find. This is due to these pieces being made for reservation and personal use before the tourist trade became popular.

Very few pieces were made and even less survived to today. Kewa Pueblo, formerly known as Santo Domingo Pueblo, is located on the Rio Grande and is particularly known for Native Pueblo artists who create heishi necklaces made of bone, shell and turquoise beads, some of which are so finely cut that they almost look like strands of hair.

These beautiful and colorful necklaces are also sometimes incorrectly identified as "Depression Jewelry", however their origin certainly predates the Great Depression, and they are still being made today by Kewa artists. Pueblo artisans are also quite famous for their inlaid mosaic-like pieces. The concept of Pawn, Old Pawn, and Dead Pawn Native American Jewelry came to be in the 1800s.

When a loan wasn't repaid, the item became known as either "Old Pawn" or Dead Pawn. Heishi, or Heishe (pronounced "hee shee"), are tiny beads that are disc-, tube-, and even sometimes square-shaped, originally made from shell that has been ground and drilled. In modern times, Heishi has come to mean any tiny hand-made beads of any natural material. Modern Heishi pieces include stone, wood, bone, nuts, eggs, and metal. The oldest examples of Heishi date back to around 6000 BCE, to the Pueblo Native Americans, and is the oldest form of jewelry in New Mexico.

The word Heishi means "shell" and ancient Pueblo artisans used many kinds of seashells that they obtained through trade with tribes in the Gulf of California; including spiny oysters, mother-of-pearl, and melon shell. Mother of Pearl is a beautiful type of organic mollusk shell lining that is made up of nacre, the same substance that coats pearls. It is a strong, iridescent material that is well suited to decorative arts, and has been used in art, jewelry and even architecture for thousands of years. Mother of Pearl is highly prized for its distinct, multi-colored pearlescent glow.

Red Coral is a highly prized stone by Native American cultures and has long been used by artisans in the Southwest. Spanish traders introduced coral to the Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, and other tribes, and it quickly became a sign and symbol of wealth and status in many different Native American cultures.

It varies in color from deep red to orange, with red being the preferred choice of Native American jewelry makers. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Ethnic, Regional & Tribal\Necklaces & Pendants". The seller is "abeautifultimeco" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Department: Womens
• Brand: Unbranded
• Metal: Sterling Silver
• Metal Purity: .925
• Main Stone: Mother of Pearl
• Material: Wire
• Modified Item: No
• Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
• Jewelry Type: Necklaces
• Country of Origin: United States, Pueblo Nation
• Tribal Affiliation: Santo Domingo
• Featured Refinements: Heishi Necklace
• Ethnic Origin: Santo Domingo
• Accent Stones: Branch coral, shell
• Ethnic & Regional Style: Native American
• Type: Necklace
• Style: Beaded