THE ARTIST:

"Mona Van Riper" is a reputable “Master” artisan here in New Mexico, known for her deep connection to both the Santa Fe and Taos regions. Practicing her art for literally decades, she began silver-smithing at the historic Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, and jewelry making and design have remained a continuous thread throughout her life. Today she works from a modest utility room in her home, set along a quiet dirt road just outside of Santa Fe, N.M., where she continues to create with steady care and seasoned expertise.

Mona’s earlier days were spent designing heavily stamped Navajo-style jewelry, by creating pieces from hand-cast ingots and coins. Over the years her signature aesthetic has evolved into a more sophisticated, contemporary look, while still honoring traditional techniques. In 1992 Mona introduced engraving into her repertoire, a development that broadened the appeal of her work; her engraved pieces often read like tooled leather in metal form. She is also widely celebrated for her exceptional “overlay” work—an art unto itself—which is beautifully demonstrated in the earrings shown here.

What I love about her work is the fact that she shows no limitations in what she can design. Whether working in 14k or 18k gold or in sterling silver, she consistently selects the highest grade stones available on the market and uses them to create truly one-of-a-kind pieces of wearable art.

In 1993 Mona won first place in the Silver Division of the New Mexico Jeweler’s Association Jewelry Design Competition, earning top honors for her exceptional workmanship. She also received the prestigious Enchantment Award in that same competition. In 1994 Mona placed second in the Gold and Platinum Division of the New Mexico Jeweler’s Design Competition, demonstrating continued excellence and recognition in her field.

THE DRAGONFLY AND THE ISLETA DOUBLE BAR CROSS:

Also called the Pueblo Cross, the Isleta Cross is a very old Pueblo design associated with the Isleta Pueblo. This double bar cross goes back further than the times of when the Spaniards came into NM (1600's) & was said to originate with the Moors,but actually dates back to the Mimbres (C.1200 AD) where you can find this similar symbol in their pottery. Early Spanish priests, attributed the use of this cross to a miraculous encounter of the early Pueblos, with the Holy Spirit.

To the Puebloan natives, the double-bar cross was very similar to the dragonfly symbol of their culture, so many Puebloans incorporated the Isleta cross in their jewelry. Many crosses of Spanish and Mexican origin as well as Isleta crosses, you'll witness a heart or a partial heart at the bottom. This is sometime referred to as the “bleeding heart”. In the Catholic Church, the Sacred Heart (the bleeding heart) alludes to the manner of Jesus’ death and represents Christ’s goodness and charity through his wounds and ultimate sacrifice. However it has been told that the reason the Puebloans put a heart on the bottom of their crosses was for other reasons. They felt it represented the big generous heart of the dragonfly who loved the people. Dragonfly represents rain and its life-giving force, a source of renewal for the land, plants, animals and thus allows human life.

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DETAILS:

ARTIST: Mona Van Riper

METAL: Sterling Silver

METAL FINISH: Lightly Oxidized-Also has a natural patina build up

COMBINED WEIGHT: 13.3 Grams

MEASUREMENT: 2-3/8" x 1" (From ear wire curvature to bottom)

MEASUREMENT WITHOUT EAR WIRE: 1-5/8” X 1”

STONES: Carico Lake Turquoise

STONE CUTS: Oval

TURQUOISE SIZE: 8 mm x 6 mm

EAR CONNECTION: Hand Made Shepherds Hook Ear Wire

CONDITION: USED- But Well Kept-Perfect Condition!! No cracked, chipped, loose stones

HALLMARK: Mona Van Riper .925

Comes Gift Boxed.

Also, please go through the photos, since they play a major role to the design!
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SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT:
Anything above a certain price tag, will have a mandatory signature confirmation requirement.(reflected in the shipping price) If you're not home in the day & need them shipped where they can be signed for,please change that in your "Ship To" section before I create the shipping label***I'm sorry if this may be an inconvenience, but I do not ship expensive pieces without one. This is for your safety & mine.
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PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:
I am not a professional photographer, but I do try to do my best at giving you accuracy in color. Warmer toned pieces & especially anything with yellow,(oranges, greens especially) can come up more vibrant & seriously saturated, so please take this into consideration. So with these colors, I try my hardest to give you the closest color I can in the photos, that you’re going to see in person. Remember though that each monitor also plays a role in how they look.

To give you close up photos to show the detail, pictures tend to make the item appear much larger & much more more magnified than in actuality. Close up's make the item look so large & then you get it in hand & you are shocked since the item is much smaller than how they looked in the photos..So to get an accurate idea of how big these are, please either check them out being worn to get a rough idea (photos) or you can pull out a tape measure & compare to my given measurements in the "DETAILS" area