This necklace is just full of natural beauty. It features a virtual menagerie of armadillos, fish, rabbits, birds, and bears. Each one of these beautiful fetishes have been intricately carved by hand out of what looks to be some genuine dark Marble. Genuine Penn Shell heishi beads provide some extension and earth tones to this necklace. Shimmering plated Silver cones adorn both ends of this one. It was strung in our shop by Navajo Indian jewelry artist Berlinda Begay. This necklace is 26-3/4" long.

The literal meaning of Heishi is "shell" and specifically refers to pieces of shell which have been drilled and ground into beads and then strung into necklaces. More and more frequently, however, heishi (hee-shee) has come to refer to hand-made tiny beads made of any natural material. The origin of heishi is fascinating indeed, and is inescapably linked to the ancient history of the people most proficient in its making, the Santa Domingo Pueblo Indians. It is safe to say that this is the oldest form of jewelry in New Mexico (and perhaps in North American), pre-dating the introduction of metals. Centuries ago, the shells used by the Pueblo Indian to make beads were obtained in trade from the Gulf of California. It will take from 2 days to a week to prepare a single strand of heishi. A string of good heishi will have a uniform consistency. If you gently pull it through your hand, it should feel like a single serpent-like piece. (Note: Precisely because of the handwork involved, a fine string of heishi may contain a lightly flawed or chipped individual bead.) This information is from the Indian Arts & Crafts Association and the Wingspread Communications publishers of the Collector's Guides to Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos.