Kewa Pueblo Hand-rolled Beads Necklace - 20" Long

This striking, hand-rolled beads necklace was made Torevia Crespin from Kewa Pueblo in New Mexico. The beads are jet, turquoise, catlinite, and clam shell. Jet is a light-weight stone and this necklace is bold, but also easy to wear. The beads end with a hook and eye clasp. More about Kewa Pueblo hand-rolled beads below.

Size: 20" Long

Hand Rolled Beads Hand-rolled beads are made by chipping out pieces of stone or shell.  A hole is drilled into the center of each chip.  The chips are strung on a wire and rolled, and rolled, and rolled until they are all the same width.  Sometimes they are graduated – a difficult task!  They are then polished until smooth.  There are hand-rolled necklaces from Kewa Pueblo that are over a thousand years old.  In the “old days”, the holes were drilled with a hand-pump drill, strung on handmade string, and rolled on sandstone.   There is nothing quite like hand-rolled Kewa beads!

Many of the Pueblos in New Mexico took on Spanish names after colonization and are now taking back their original names.  Kewa Pueblo is the traditional name of the place and the people.  It was known as Santo Domingo Pueblo for many, many years.