Kewa Pueblo Mosaic Earrings

Kewa Pueblo jeweler, Rudy Coriz, made these striking mosaic inlay earrings.  Stones include lapis, turquoise, serpentine, apple coral coral, and jet.  They are inlaid onto jet and dangle for sterling silver wires.

Size: 2" L including the wires - .75" 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 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.