Vintage Native American Santo Domingo Turquoise Necklace

VINTAGE NATIVE AMERICAN SANTO DOMINGO TURQUOISE NECKLACE. This two strand vintage necklace is a lovely statement piece.

The necklace showcases Shell, Spiny Oyster, Penn Shell, and Turquoise. The strands of heishi are tied on the back. There are jaclas hanging from the necklace, made from Turquoise, Spiny Oyster, and Coral beads. Kewa (Santo Domingo) artists are known for their heishi. Means "shell" in the Keresan language.

Traditionally Santo Domingo jewelry makers created their heishi jewelry out of shell. The shell is hand cut into a flat disc. Today, other stones that Santo Domingo artists cut in this manner, are also referred to as heishi. With modern tools and innovations, artists can create different styles of beads and use different gemstones like turquoise, coral, jet, serpentine, and spiny oyster.

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