Dave Reano

Jet is a light-weight stone making this necklace easy to wear.  Ten turquoise beads are interspersed between the hand-rolled jet.  The beads end with a sterling silver lobster clasp.  More about hand-rolled beads below.

Size: 21.5" Long

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.

This lovely, delicate necklace was made by Kewa Pueblo jeweler, Dave Reano.  Purple spiny oyster shell beads and tabs representing corn are strung with orange and red spiny oyster shell.  The beads are strung between pen shell heishi.  The beads end with an inch and half of pen shell heishi on each side and a sterling silver lobster clasp.

20.5" Long

Kewa Pueblo jeweler, Dave Reano, made this necklace with soft green turquoise.  Six orange spiny oyster shell rondelle beads are interspersed with the turquoise.  There is .75" of pin shell heishi at the end of the beads that end with a sterling silver lobster clasp.

Size: 22" Long