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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Guaranteed Authentic
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 Spiny Oyster Earrings - Dangle #164.
Authenticity Guarantee
This item is guaranteed authentic, handcrafted by Santo Domingo artisans, in full compliance with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (25 U.S.C. § 305 et seq.).
Discover this exceptional Native American Earrings, handcrafted by Santo Domingo (Kewa) Pueblo artisans, meticulously crafted in Sterling Silver. This remarkable piece showcases Spiny Oyster. The Spiny Oyster featured in this piece carries a rich heritage — Harvested from the warm waters of the Sea of Cortez off Baja California, Mexico. The shell ranges from deep red-orange to purple and has been traded into the Southwest for over a thousand years. Available in size Dangle. Located between Santa Fe and Albuquerque along the Rio Grande, Santo Domingo Pueblo is renowned for heishi bead making, a tradition spanning thousands of years. Their artists are master lapidaries, creating intricate shell and stone jewelry. Ships from our gallery in Sedona, Arizona.
SKU: 510993J
Provenance
Gulf of California
Characteristics
Spiny oyster shell brings warm color to Southwestern jewelry — vivid orange, deep red, and rich purple harvested from the spiny oyster mollusk. It is a classic complement to turquoise in inlay, heishi, and cluster work.
Heritage
The Rio Grande's bead and mosaic masters — Kewa heishi and inlay traditions older than silver itself, hand-rolled from turquoise, shell, and jet.
Art Traditions
For the Kewa, jewelry-making is both a livelihood and an inheritance carried within families across many generations. Children learn to drill, roll, grade, and string beside their elders, and the pueblo's reputation rests on a communal standard of excellence sustained over centuries. Kewa is also one of the most private and traditional of the pueblos, and its people guard their ceremonial life closely even as their jewelry travels the world. Kewa artisans are celebrated, too, for resourcefulness and adaptation — the Depression-era thunderbird necklaces stand as a testament to creativity under hardship, transforming whatever was available into objects of lasting beauty. That ingenuity, married to deep traditional skill, remains a point of pride and a hallmark of the pueblo's art. Kewa makers are a constant, respected presence at the Santa Fe Indian Market and other juried shows, where their strands are sought by collectors worldwide. Humiovi presents Kewa work as the product of this living, family-rooted tradition, honoring the makers and the centuries of skill behind every strand. Because Kewa is among the most private and traditional of the pueblos, much of its inner life is closed to outsiders, but its jewelry has long been the pueblo's open hand to the world — a way of sustaining families and carrying Kewa skill far beyond the Rio Grande. Every strand bought honors both the maker and the community that produced the maker.
Cared for thoughtfully, a handcrafted piece is meant to last generations. A few essentials for this one:
Coral & spiny oyster
Organic and soft — wipe with a dry cloth only, and avoid water, heat, and chemicals.
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.
Complimentary US shipping on all jewelry
Certificate of Authenticity
Every piece arrives with a Certificate of Authenticity recording its materials. Where a piece's artist and tribal affiliation are known, the certificate names them too.
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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Beyond turquoise and coral, Native American jewelers draw upon a remarkable palette of secondary stones — Afghan lapis lazuli traded across 6,000 years of human commerce, spiny oyster shell graded from fiery orange to royal purple, gaspeite, sugilite, charoite, and other rare materials that expand the chromatic possibilities of indigenous jewelry to extraordinary effect.
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.
Provenance
Offered by The Humiovi — family-owned in Sedona, Arizona, since 1972. Its provenance is recorded on the certificate of authenticity that accompanies it.
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