Butterfly Pendant on Beads - 19" Long

Mary Louise Tafoya from Kewa Pueblo in New Mexico made this beautiful butterfly necklace.  It is strung it on soft pink stone and turquoise beads.  The butterfly is made of abalone, serpentine, turquoise, spiny oyster shell, and stitchtite.  Mary Louise signs each of her necklaces with her name and her signature flower. 

Length: 19", Pendant: 2.5" H x 1.5" L x .25" W

Jewelers from Kewa Pueblo have been creating mosaic inlay jewelry for over a thousand years.  Some of the ancient Kewa jewelry can seem quite modern in their designs.  The stones, and/or shell, are cut into shapes which are then put together like a puzzle on a backing.  The backing can be shell, jet, or other materials like epoxy, records or sheets of plastic which was used during times when materials were hard to come by.  Prior to colonization and the use of metals in Native American jewelry making, the earrings were hung on handmade string.