Jon & I visited Santa Fe for the Las Posada on December 12, 2010. While there we visited the Santa Domingo Pueblo. I wanted to experience the feeling of where Nestoria and Daniel Coriz create their beautiful jewelry. After comparing the pueblo to today’s non-pueblo neighborhoods, it only adds to the amazing wonders of how they create such perfect jewelry. Much must still be drilled and carved with small tools by the steady-controlled hands of these talented artisans.

As verifiable on the Collector’s Guide web site, "The literal meaning of heishi is "shell" and specifically refers to pieces of shell which have been drilled and ground into beads and then strung into necklaces. More and more frequently, however, heishi has come to refer to hand-made tiny beads made of any natural material. The origin of heishi is fascinating and is inescapably linked to the ancient history of the people most proficient in its making, the Santo Domingo and San Felipe Pueblo Indians. It is safe to say this is the oldest form of jewelry in New Mexico and perhaps in North America, pre-dating the introduction of metals. Centuries ago, the shells used by the Pueblo Indians to make beads were obtained in trade from the Gulf of California."

Keep in mind, though, not all jewelers are reputable as I found when reading freelance writer Sher Matsen’s article on turquoise. She emphasized the need when purchasing to be wary. According to her, there is much imitation, however, the imitation techniques may be good. If authenticity is important, you will need to purchase it through a gallery where certification and information regarding the artisan is provided. This will not be a problem when buying from the Coriz family, for they are famous for their potters and silversmiths and for using the best quality of natural stones like heishi, turquoise, lapis, jet, mother of pearl and spiny oyster and melon shell.

Daniel Coriz is not only a fine silversmith, but he is also a master of the inlay jewelry technique. The cross that I bought illustrates this with turquoise, jet, orange & green spiny oyster and mother of pearl stones perfectly incased in sterling silver. It is a beautiful complimentary piece, which matches the orange & green spiny oyster heishi and turquoise necklace. The inlaying of the stones is and has been used by the Native-American jewelers for centuries. It is a decorative technique of inserting pieces of contrasting, often colored materials into depressions in a base object to form patterns or pictures that normally are flush with the matrix. Much of the stone shaping had to be done by hand due to the unavailability of the proper tools. To some degree, this may still be the case due to the fragile stones, especially turquoise.

The turquoise stone is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral that is a hydrous phospate of copper and aluminum. It is one of the most popular stones and can be found in many parts of the world and North American in the dry areas of Arizona and New Mexico. When working with turquoise 60-70 percent can be lost due to the softness of the stone. Much of the turquoise from China is wax impregnated to harden lesser quality stones. This is why it may be beneficial to deal with a reputable artisan if quality is an issue.

The lapis lazuli stone is a relatively rare semi precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense blue color. Lapis lazuli has been mined from mines in the Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan for over 6,000 years and there are sources that are found in the eastern region of Siberia. The necklace that I purchased does not contain the lapis stone, but warrants mentioning. You will understand if you take the time to check the Authentic, New, Vintage and Dead Pawn Native American Indian Jewelry at the Tumbleweeds Jewelry web site and look for Daniel’s designs with this stone.

The jet, otherwise known as the French word jaiet, is a geological material and is considered to be a minor gemstone. It is not considered a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure. It occurs in either black or dark brown and may contain pyrite inclusions, which are of brassy color and metallic lustre. The adjective jet-black is better known perhaps than the substance from which the descriptive phrase derives.

One of the earliest of mankind's ornaments, jet beads have been unearthed from burial sites dating to the Bronze Age. The extension of the Roman Empire into the British Isles resulted in this black gem's use in the jewelry and art objects of rich Romans. The finest jet comes from England, and it is also found in the United States, Poland, France, Germany, Spain, India and Russia.

From the 1870 the use of the gem was in a consistent decline in its popularity. Some speculate that the gem's association with mourning was responsible. Recently the stone has made a recovery. Once again, it is being used by many of the Native American artisans in New Mexico. This jet stone was used in the design of my cross, and earrings creating a striking accent against the other vibrant colors. I recently found out the way to distinguish jet from black marble, is by the weight. If the jewelry piece is very heavy most likely it is made with black marble because jet is a much lighter stone due to it being a mineraloid.

The mother of pearl is the common name for iridescent nacre, a blend of minerals that are secreted by oysters and other mollusks and deposited inside their shells, coating and protecting their bodies from parasites and foreign objects. A pearl grows when mother of pearl surrounds and builds layers around an object that's inserted in the shell by nature or humans. Daniel not only placed the mother of pearl within the design of my cross and earrings, he also cleverly placed it on the back of the earrings. That was not only convenient for the purchaser (who does not like polishing the silver), but also a beautiful accent.

The spiny-oyster bead is a process of cutting up the spiny oyster shells into bead-sized pieces and drilling holes through the pieces. Spiny heishi oyster beads come in all sizes, shapes and in 3 main colors, orange, olive and purple. The stones are harvested from the ocean floor and are used by many Native American artisans like the Coriz family. Daniel’s ability to perfectly match the heishi stones with my beautifully crafted cross just seemed amazing to me!

The melon shell comes from several melon-shaped mollusks of the genus "melo". Also called Bailer shell or Bailer melon shell. Melon shell comes in various pastel shades of cream to light brown. Commonly found on the beaches and also are often by product of the seafood in industry because the snails are harvested for meat. I don’t believe my necklace & earrings were designed with this stone in mind, but I wanted to include this in the article because the Daniel Coriz’s family are know to use this stone in their designs.

I realize that this information only touches on a very small part of the Native American Santo Domingo Pueblo artisans and their technique. However, for me it has been an exciting discovery. I now know more about the artist that created my necklace, earrings and cross, along with a minor knowledge of the inlaying technique and the colorful heishi stones.