Antique Vintage Sterling Silver Native Santo Domingo Pueblo Bird Necklace 30.9g

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: 30.9 grams. Main Stone: Mother of pearl.

Length: 13.88 mm to 20.83 mm. Width: 3.37 mm to 5.63 mm. Color: lustrous white, blue, yellow, and pink 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. Length of longest strand : 28.50. Closure/Clasp Type: Hook and figure eight clasp. Link Type: Carved mother of pearl stones and sterling silver beads on string. 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 and sterling silver beads. The mother of pearl stones were expertly carved into the likeness of bird fetishes. These bird motifs contain lustrous white, blue, yellow, and pink stones. Many sterling silver beads, each handmade, were strung between each bird carving. 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 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 wasnt 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. The item "Antique Vintage Sterling Silver Native Santo Domingo Pueblo Bird Necklace 30.9g" is in sale since Sunday, April 18, 2021. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Ethnic, Regional & Tribal\Native American\Necklaces & Pendants".

The seller is "abeautifultimeco" and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado. This item can be shipped worldwide.

Country of Origin: United States, Pueblo Nation
Modified Item: No
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Material: String
Featured Refinements: Heishi Necklace
Ethnic Origin: Pueblo
Metal Purity: .925
Main Stone: Mother of Pearl
Metal: Sterling Silver
Jewelry Type: Necklaces
Tribal Affiliation: Santo Domingo