The ocean has supplied Native American jewelers with some of their most culturally significant materials. Mediterranean red coral, harvested from depths of 30 to 300 meters in the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic seas, arrived in the Southwest through Spanish colonial trade routes. Spiny oyster shell from the Sea of Cortez has been traded northward for over a thousand years. Mother of pearl, abalone, and other marine shells complete a palette of organic materials whose cultural importance rivals turquoise itself.
Navajo silversmithing traces its origins to the 1860s and 1870s, when Atsidi Sani and other early practitioners adapted metalworking techniques learned from Spanish and Mexican plateros into a distinctly Dine artistic tradition. Through stamp work, repousse, sand casting, and tufa casting, Navajo silversmiths created an iconic design vocabulary — the squash blossom necklace, the concho belt, the ketoh — that remains the foundation of Southwestern jewelry artistry.
Provenance
Offered by The Humiovi — family-owned in Sedona, Arizona, since 1972. Every piece in our gallery has a known origin and a verified maker.
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WARNING: This product can expose you to lead and cadmium, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and reproductive harm. For more information go to P65Warnings.ca.gov.
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Arrives Thu, Sep 17 – Wed, Sep 23
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Indian Arts and Crafts Act Compliant
Every piece is accompanied by a signed Certificate of Authenticity, documenting its provenance and recorded below for Sterling Silver Conch Shell Pendant - 2x3.25 in. #079.
Authenticity Guarantee
Discover this exceptional Native American Pendant, handcrafted by Navajo (Diné) artisans, meticulously crafted in Sterling Silver. This remarkable piece showcases genuine Conch Shell. The Conch Shell featured in this piece carries a rich heritage — Harvested from the warm tropical waters of the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, conch shell has been a treasured trade material in the American Southwest for thousands of years. Its natural pink to deep rose coloring and luminous inner surface make it a prized material in Native American jewelry, symbolizing the ancient connection between desert peoples and the distant ocean. This piece measures 2 inches wide by 3.25 inches tall. The Navajo Nation spans 27,000 square miles across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, making it the largest Native American reservation. Navajo silversmiths learned their craft in the 1860s and developed iconic styles including squash blossom necklaces and concho belts. This piece bears the signature of artist El Billah, a mark of authenticity and personal craftsmanship. Every piece at Humiovi is one-of-a-kind — once sold, it can never be replicated. Ships from our gallery in Sedona, Arizona.
SKU: 5419243
Provenance
Gulf & Caribbean waters
Characteristics
Conch and other natural shell bring soft, luminous color to Native American inlay — pale pinks, creams, and faint iridescence that give a mosaic its gentle passages. Set alongside turquoise, jet, and coral in classic Zuni and Santo Domingo designs, shell is the quiet counterpoint that makes the brighter stones sing.
Heritage
The largest Native nation in the United States and the founders of Southwestern silversmithing — bold silver and turquoise from Diné Bikéyah.
Art Traditions
For the Diné, silver and turquoise are far more than ornament. Turquoise — dootłʼizhii — is a protective and sacred stone woven through Navajo ceremony, song, and the creation narratives of the Holy People. It is associated with sky, water, and blessing; to wear it is to carry a piece of the living landscape and the harmony, or hózhó, that Diné life seeks to maintain. Jewelry also functions as portable wealth and as a record of family. Pieces are pawned and redeemed, inherited, and worn at ceremonies, dances, weddings, and gatherings as expressions of status, identity, and belonging. A great deal of the finest Navajo work was never made for sale at all — it was made to be worn by the maker's own family, and "old pawn" that was never reclaimed is prized today precisely because it was made to Native standards rather than for the tourist trade. The craft is typically learned within families and at the bench, passed from one generation to the next. To buy Navajo jewelry is to participate in a living economy that has sustained Diné households for a century and a half. Humiovi presents Navajo work with respect for this depth of meaning, honoring the artisans and the cultural continuity their work represents rather than reducing it to decoration. Certain pieces carry particular weight within a family. A squash blossom necklace or a fine concho belt is often a household's signal heirloom, worn at ceremonies, weddings, and major life events and handed down deliberately from one generation to the next. To receive or inherit such a piece is to receive a measure of the family's history along with the silver. This is part of why the very best Navajo work has always been made first for the maker's own people, to Diné standards rather than to the expectations of the tourist trade — and why a piece made in that spirit, even when it eventually reaches the market, carries an integrity that mass production cannot imitate.
Cared for thoughtfully, a handcrafted piece is meant to last generations. A few essentials for this one:
Shell & mother of pearl
Organic and easily scratched — avoid water and chemicals, and store apart from harder pieces.
Sterling silver
Buff with a soft polishing cloth — leaving intentional oxidation intact — and store airtight to slow tarnish.
Last on, first off
Put your piece on after fragrance, lotion, and hairspray — and take it off before water, sleep, and sport.
Store with care
Keep each piece in its own soft pouch, away from direct sun and damp, so softer stones never meet harder ones.
Estimated delivery: Thu, Sep 17 – Wed, Sep 23
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Order by 2pm MST for same-day processing
Certificate of Authenticity
Every purchase includes a Certificate of Authenticity documenting the artist, tribal affiliation, and materials used in your piece.
Returns & Exchanges
Return within 30 days of delivery. Exchanges for an item of equal or greater value carry no restocking fee; refund returns are subject to a 20% restocking fee, with return shipping paid by you. Items must be in new, unworn, and unused condition with all original packaging — your Certificate of Authenticity is yours to keep. Custom and personalized pieces are not eligible.
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This item is guaranteed authentic, handcrafted by a member of a federally recognized Native American tribe, in full compliance with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (25 U.S.C. § 305 et seq.).
