Tomorrow, driving to the airport hotel now. Yes, exhausted, but good exhausted. We did take some time to go to Petrified Forest National Park. And I just got to eat dinner with my bestest buddy who lives in Phoenix!
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This is one that I found this morning. It was at an estate sale. The grandson was telling me all the necklaces were genuine turquoise that his grandmother had purchased in Arizona. But they all had cheep barrel clasps and light weight beads except for this one. Later when I was in the garage I found strings of beads, barrel clasps and other hobby lobby looking materials for making jewelry.
All that to say that I am not sure about the quality of this one. But if there was a good one in all of them, this had to be it.
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Here are a few of my others. The larger ones are the best ones that I own. I have previously posted two of them on this forum. The smaller ones are the ones I wear the most. All of them are from estate or garage sales. So I really know nothing about them.
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This looks good to me - I love it, and I have one that’s very very similar that I’ll post when I get home. Mine is Navajo, and I bought it as pawn at the Eiteljorg Indian market one year (years ago the museum would have Gallup stores bring in crates of pawn jewelery) so I believe yours is Navajo.
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@chris I would wear any of your necklaces. The nugget heishi 
. Congratulations on your new find.
I know that barrel clasps were popular in the 70s. Generally I don’t buy a necklace with them on it.
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I’m sharing some of my heishi pieces from the late 70’s to the early- mid 90’s. At that I was buying pottery and was fortunate to know and frequently visit Robert Tenorio at Kewa. We attended outdoor several pottery firing and once he gave us a demonstration of using a hand pump to drill beads (he and a lot of Kewa kids were expected to help with drilling beads after school). I became interested in heishi and purchased a lot from Robert’s family. Does anyone have any vintage pump drilled beads…I’m always looking for them.
All of these (except the coral?) pieces are very fine hand rolled heishi. The beads are ~1.5 to 2 mm width (which I find amazing!)
The pipestone/turquoise and jet/turquoise pieces on the right are by Howard Tenorio (d) - Robert’s brother-in-law.
Far left is an10 strand olive shell heishi piece by Dan Lovato (d) - Ray Lovato’s brother.
Next, a 10 strand turquoise heishi necklace by Wilbert Calabaza.
And a 5 strand coral heishi necklace by Dan Lovato
Since I’ve shared some of these before I won’t add information on the six above unless requested
This is getting long winded, but I love these! Ill also share these turquoise necklaces by Howard Tenorio. At some point there is a distinction between heishi and beads…these were hand cut then individually shaped into small discs, they can be heishi, but I’m calling them beads😊
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Thanks! Can’t wait to see it!
Ooh outdoor pottery firing! That sounds fun!! Love the necklaces!
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This info was originally posted, in the forum, by @Steve in Feb 2024. I had taken a screenshot of it 'cause I consider it good information to know.
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Yeah…in Keresan (language spoken at Kewa) heishi means shell. But it seems currently it is used to describe small disks or tubular pieces of shell or stone material strung together, I guess “small” is the definitive descriptor 
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Oh my stars! Look at all of those beautiful necklaces!! I cannot pick a favorite. Do you have a favorite?
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These two necklaces came from estate sales in either MI or OH. My mom purchased them for me back in the 1990s or 2000s.
Here is a pic of the larger main stone. It looks like a shark tooth.
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Nice little article about Mr. Lovato. Both here and the Garland’s site refer to his work as having turquoise heishi, so I believe you are correct in that the term’s usage has broadened.
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Thanks @Ziacat:blush:. Somehow I’ve never thought of the turquoise “beads” in my pieces as heishi… IMO they’re too big! But some of Ray’s finer single strand necklaces would likely qualify as heishi. Best to leave it to the experts, but certainly we all can have our own opinions.
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Maybe this should be cross- posted to the “books” thread, but if anyone is interested in a good book on Heishi/beads, this one, as all of Paula Baxter’s books, is highly recommended:
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Thank you! I will definitely look for it.
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I will add mine, most not super fancy, but they layer so well, and look great with pendants.
I bought all these at the Eiteljorg; the black and turquoise necklaces from artists at the market years ago, and the one with beads interspersed with heishi I got at their gift shop. I purchased the Mary Tafoya necklace with pendant last year at the market. Sometimes I like to wear all these together (minus the pendant - it hangs differently).
The necklace on the left was one of my early purchases from the Market. A long time ago shops from Gallup would bring in crates of pawn, and this was from that. I believe the turquoise is not only stabilized but also dyed (because it’s so bright blue). The middle is my favorite, because it was my mom’s, and she bought it from Mary C Lovato about 30 years ago at the Eiteljorg Market. The black one on the right I also bought there. I told the artist I liked the bead on the side, and she laughed. She said she was tired and forgot to put it in the middle, and decided maybe someone would like it off center.
@here4turquoise, the individual dark red heishi on the small turquoise necklace is down near the middle instead of the top.
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Beautiful. I like necklaces with focal bead on the side instead of bottom center. What are the black beads made from?
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Thanks! It is jet. It feels like snakeskin when you run your hand up and down it. I like the bead on the side also, but it does make it slip, and I have to keep adjusting it when I wear it.
I forgot to mention that these are all Santa Domingo/Kewa made except for the one with the chunky turquoise pieces; that is Navajo.
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@Ziacat You have a great variety of necklaces. I see
several layered options. Thank you for sharing them.
Be sure to tell Robert and Lenore, Scott and Natalie from Virginia say hello.
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