Vintage Turquoise Heishi Bead Necklace, Sterling Silver Spacers, 17 inch

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Vintage Native American 17 inch Green Turquoise Heishi Bead Necklace which has been stranded on sinew and finished with original cones and hook and eye clasp. The necklace has tiny faceted sterling silver bead spacers along the front of the necklace allowing for a beautiful drape of this piece of Native American history. Matching earrings are listed separately under SKU# 715-523
Necklace length is 17 inches.
Bead size is 5.27 mm.
Total weight is 20 grams.

Native Americans in the Southwest have been wearing beaded jewelry for centuries. The beaded tradition is most closely associated with Santo Domingo Pueblo, known for creating beautiful shell and gemstone beads by hand. These beads are called “heishi,” which means “shell” in the Santo Domingo language Keres. Necklaces with similar bead styles have been found in the ancient Anasazi sites Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde, and heishi may be the oldest form of jewelry in New Mexico. Traditionally, heishi beads are smooth flat discs, but today the term is used to refer to any small beads that are strung together. Making heishi beads by hand is an extremely labor intensive process, and it can take up to two weeks to make a single strand. First, the shell or gemstone is sliced into strips, then clipped by hand into small squares. These unfinished beads are drilled and strung on a fine wire. Next, the artist turns the string of beads against a stone wheel to make them round, further shaping and smoothing with sand paper. Finally, the beads are run against a leather belt to achieve a fine polish. Today, fewer and fewer artists are cutting their beads by hand, making true handmade heishi necklaces an extremely valuable piece for art and jewelry collectors. Today, Native American artists across the Southwest are known for handcrafting beautiful bead necklaces using iconic gemstones like turquoise, coral, jet and spiny oyster shell. Beaded jewelry remains a vibrant form as artists create both traditional pieces and more contemporary styles using non-traditional gemstones, new bead shapes, unexpected color combinations and unique necklace silhouettes.