This coiled bracelet is one of the trademark traditional styles of mother/daughter team of Clarita and Vera Tenorio (Kewa Pueblo). After choosing more than 200 chip-style turquoise nuggets in varying shades of blue and green, lightly polished and drilled in the centers, they string them on a spiraled length of sterling silver wire; the wire’s own […]
Some 200 subtly-shaped free-form nuggets of blue and green turquoise are lightly polished, drilled, and and strung on a tense length of spiraled silver wire. Each end of the strand is capped by a single piece of drilled coral and a tiny sterling silver round bead. The flexible coil style fits nearly any wrist. By Clarita […]
This simple little necklace is one from Wings’s private collection, made years ago by one of the Pueblo’s children. Strung on simple fishing line, it features spiraled metal tube beads with a coppery glow. Half-way down the length of the necklace, they begin alternating with rough-polished chip beads of spiny oyster shell in purple and […]
This iconic belt buckle, a hallmark of traditional Southwestern Indian jewelry, is hand-wrought by an artist whose name the style bears. Rodney Concha (Taos Pueblo) is known for his beautifully complex belts and buckles in the classic design known as concha (the Spanish word for “shell). He has coaxed a large and highly stylized version from beautiful […]
Rodney Concha (Taos Pueblo) is known for his elaborate belts and buckles in a traditional style that bears his name: concha, for their shell-like shape. Here, he has created one out of glowing copper in a very old, very iconic shape and pattern, with a slightly-domed interior and scalloped and feathered edges. At its very […]
This classic Southwest Indian concha belt buckle takes form in the warm and healing hues of burnished copper. By Rodney Concha (Taos Pueblo), it bears his trademark Eye-of-Spirit-and-sunburst center, edged by scalloped stampwork that flares in the traditional eagle-feather pattern at either side. Buckle is 2-5/8″ long by 2″ high (dimensions approximate). Copper $125 + […]
This beautiful vintage-style traditional concha belt is from Wings’s private collection. The word concha is Spanish for “shell,” and the individual pieces, or conchas, do indeed resemble silvery shells. This one is rendered in heavy sterling silver, each piece individually hand-stamped. The belt is high-quality, heavy leather, such dark brown that it’s nearly black in color. By […]
Note: This item, along with all other art by Zuni and Navajo artisans, has been removed from current inventory in response to this. This big, bold, beautiful Navajo cuff does double duty as a watchband. The band itself is finely-worked sterling silver in the classic eagle-feather motif . Each side of the band features several […]
Branch coral — particularly the dark, blood-red coral — is difficult to find anymore; it’s endangered, and what little remains on the market is all there is. That scarcity makes finely-wrought bead necklaces like this one all the more valuable. Here, six separate strands of tiny natural branch-coral tube beads are separated by classic olivella-shell […]
Clarita and Vera Tenorio (Kewa Pueblo) have created this single-strand fetish necklace out of dozens of tiny horses. Each horse is carved out of blue turquoise with a pale, almost golden-colored matrix, and is accented with jet inlay eyes. About 32″ long, the top of the strand is snugly wrapped with heavy-duty natural-fiber twine and […]
This fetish necklace by Clarita and Vera Tenorio (Kewa Pueblo) features dozens of tiny horses. Each is rendered in a classic and very versatile medium long used by Pueblo peoples: elk antler. Each has jet inlay eyes. The top of the necklace is wrapped tightly in a heavy-duty natural-fiber twine, and accented with a single free-form piece of […]
Dozens of tiny amber horse fetishes dance up and down the length of this necklace. Each has a matched pair of jet inlay eyes; each is strung on heavy-duty twine, which is then tightly wrapped in sturdy rope-like natural-fiber strands at the neck. A rough-cut gemstone accents either side. By Clarita and Vera Tenorio (Kewa […]
Oval beads of denim lapis lazuli, lightly shaped but not quite flat, form this hand-crafted necklace by Clarita and Vera Tenorio of Kewa Pueblo. The firmly-strung beads can be laid flat against the skin for a classic look, or turned randomly for a bolder, more casual effect. Each bead is aswirl in shades of deep […]
Natural coral is increasingly difficult to find, due to its endangered status. Many of our Native artisans, beadworkers, and stone-cutters have taken steps to ensure that no bit of coral goes to waste: All the chips and dust left over from cutting and cabbing is carefully collected, then heat-treated to meld all the tiniest bits […]
Carver Jeremy Gomez (Taos Pueblo) has coaxed an “eagle feather” from stone. An adjustable white deerhide thong holds the hand-carved pendant, fashioned of pale orange alabaster with a swirling matrix. Turquoise-based paint accents hand-made divots that adorn the feather’s “shaft.” Orange alabaster; blue turquoise; white deerhide $195 + shipping, handling, and insurance SOLD […]
Carver Jeremy Gomez (Taos Pueblo) has fashioned an “eagle feather” out of lightweight stone. Hand-carved of pale orange alabaster, the feather’s “shaft” is accented with tiny divots accented with turquoise-based paint. It hangs from an adjustable white deerhide thong. Orange alabaster; blue turquoise; white deerhide $185 + shipping, handling, and insurance SOLD […]
Soft and silky as soapstone, these delicate eagle feathers have been coaxed by hand from local Pilar slate by Jeremy Gomez (Taos Pueblo). Eminently touchable, they’re cool to the fingertips, but warm against the skin. Despite being carved from stone, they’re light in weight and dangle beautifully. Pilar slate; sterling silver $75 + shipping, handling, […]
This one-of-a-kind necklace by Aaron Mirabal (Taos Pueblo) features three grandmother storytellers crafted of the Pueblo’s own micaceous clay. The center figure holds two children; each of the others holds one apiece. All figures are dressed traditionally, and are interspersed with round hand-made beads of the same micaceous clay. An older piece from Wings’s private collection. […]
Priscilla Aguilar (Kewa Pueblo) has evoked an intensely colorful kiva steps pattern from tiny rectangles of stone and shell. Beautiful rectangles of cobalt-blue lapis lazuli with a soft golden-white matrix form the steps themselves, lit from above by a soft peach and purple glow from bits of spiny oyster shell. All are limned by a […]
Tiny chips of brilliant blue sky, random bits of hardened rain fallen to earth, are pieced together in these inlay earrings by Priscilla Aguilar (Kewa Pueblo). Each collection of blue turquoise chips is bisected by an inlaid sterling silver heartline, all placed gently into a slender sterling silver bezel. Backed by pale green banded serpentine. […]
These beautiful drops by Priscilla Aguilar (Kewa Pueblo) are created out of tiny randomly-cut bits of pipestone, a material sacred to many tribal nations. Here, each grouping of pipestone chips is inlaid into a sterling silver bezel and features an inlay silver heartline. Backed by a thin pipestone slab. Sterling silver; pipestone $235 + shipping, handling, and […]
Sterling silver bezels in a triangle shape hold inlaid squares of pipestone, sacred to many of the peoples of the North. Bits of banded green malachite, edged with sterling silver, accent the center. By Priscilla Aguilar (Kewa Pueblo). Pipestone on the reverse side. Sterling silver; pipestone; malachite $235 + shipping, handling, and insurance Now on sale […]
Small squares of spring green serpentine are carefully inlaid around a central diamond-shaped piece of natural coral edged in sterling silver. By Priscilla Aguilar (Kewa Pueblo), each is backed by banded green serpentine and trimmed with a sterling silver bezel. Sterling silver; green serpentine; coral; banded serpentine $235 + shipping, handling, and insurance Now on […]
These oval drop earrings are as simple and spare as it gets: Perfectly shaped cabochons of intensely green turquoise, set into low saw-toothed bezel and trimmed with tightly twisted silver. These are from Wings’s personal collection, acquired through pawn or trade, name of artisan and stone alike now lost to the passage of time. From […]
