A PERSONAL WORD ABOUT WARREN:
Living in a fast-paced modern world has never caused Kewa Puebloan artist Warren Nieto to lose sight of the rich and meaningful traditions of the past that continue to inspire and shape his work. My dear friend Warren doesn’t just create traditional Pueblo Jewelry that simply offers you "the look." What truly sets him apart from many other artists is the fact that, more often than not, his work carries deep symbolic meanings and stories. It’s as though each piece tells a vivid story of Pueblo life, depicted through intricate mosaics made from stones and shells, reflecting scenes from either the past or the present. (These earrings are THE perfect example of what I’m referring to!) This humble man is rich in cultural and traditional knowledge; he is someone who lives and breathes his Pueblo heritage every day. His inspirations are drawn from both the oral histories passed down through generations and the ancient petroglyph walls of Chaco Canyon. There’s hardly anything he can’t share—stories and insights that will leave you eager to listen more. It is his profound Pueblo roots that imbue every single piece of jewelry he creates with life and meaning.
*****************
THE EARRINGS:

These dramatically long 5” earrings are truly a captivating story of “Symbolic Puebloan Art,” where Warren conveys an actual narrative within these remarkably made earrings. “Lapidary Art” also plays a dominant and vital role in their creation, showcasing exceptional workmanship. The tops are designed with a mosaic of earthy brown #8 turquoise.As if looking from an ‘aerial’ view, the perimeter features the "Kiva Step" design. Inside this outer Kiva Step design, circular cuts of vivid blue Sleeping Beauty turquoise represent the Kivas themselves. The rectangular cuts of Sleeping Beauty turquoise creatively act as the “walls that enclose the Pueblo.” At the very bottom, 4 “Rainclouds” are included—which are sacred symbols to the Puebloan people, as they are to bring essential rain that helps the corn crops to flourish. (All these details are clearly shown in photo 8.)

Every individual element is carefully mosaic inlaid atop a sturdy base of black Jet (Fossilized Coal), which provides a lighter and more comfortable overall feel when worn on the ear (See weights below). Measuring an impressive 3.25 inches in length, the tubular-shaped #8 turquoise dangles are meticulously hand cut with precision by Warren himself. To complete the design, the dangles are then finalized with hand cut cube-like beads that have been expertly sculpted and beveled to achieve their distinctive three-dimensional cube form.

Paying deep respect to his Ancestral Puebloan ancestry, the delicate dangles are thoughtfully anchored to the tops by way of string, which imparts a distinctly ancient Chaco Canyon feel. If you zoom in on photos 11 & 16, you will clearly see the intricate details that highlight this traditional technique. The string is knotted on the backside, and then burnt to securely hold the dangle in place. This particular style was commonly used by the Ancestral Puebloan people in the Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde region long before the introduction of modern-day sterling silver jump rings for connections. This method of workmanship dates back to the period around 900-1300 AD, capturing a truly timeless element of their cultural heritage.

**I DO WANT TO MENTION THAT IN THE PHOTOS,SOME OF THE DANGLES DON’T APPEAR TO LAY EVEN.THIS WAS MORE THAN LIKELY DUE TO SOME OF THE STRING CONNECTIONS BEING TURNED AT THE TIME OF PHOTOGRAPHING THEM AND OR THE WAY THEY WERE LAYING IN THE PHOTOS.. WHEN I HOLD THEM SIDE BY SIDE, THEY ARE EVEN!
**************************
DETAILS:

ARTIST: WARREN NIETO made EXCLUSIVELY for Plata de Santa Fe Jewelry

TRIBE: KEWA PUEBLO VILLAGE (SANTO DOMINGO PUEBLO)

MATERIALS: TOPS: ORANGE SPINY OYSTER--SLEEPING BEAUTY AND #8 TURQUOISE-BLACK JET BACKING-STRING

METAL: STAINLESS EAR STEM (WILL COME WITH JUMBO STERLING EAR NUTS)

MEASUREMENT: 5" X 1-5/8" (TAKEN AT THE WIDEST PART OF THE TOP)

COMBINED WEIGHT: 33.8 GRAMS (1.19 OUNCES)

EAR STYLE: POSTS (WARREN MAKES HIS EAR STEMS ON THE LONGER SIDE TO ACCOMMODATE ANY LOBE SIZE-HE MENTIONED THAT YOU CAN USE FINGERNAIL CLIPPERS TO CLIP THEM DOWN TO SIZE & THEN FILE IF NEEDED TO REMOVE ANY ROUGH EDGES.)

TECHNIQUE: TOTALLY MADE BY HAND-LAPIDARY-MOSAIC INLAY-HAND MADE DANGLES

HALLMARK: "WN"-WITH 'KIVA STEPS

COME GIFT BOXED
*****************************
SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT:
Based on the final price that you'll pay with tax, puts these in the "Signature Confirmation" category. So these will have to have a mandatory signature confirmation requirement . 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.
*********************************
PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:
I am not a professional photographer, but I do try to do my best at giving you accuracy in color. Please go through each photo to see any variation. Whether it be your computer monitor or phone screen, the item can appear to be either more vivid (Or duller),so please take this into consideration. If I can provide additional photos in various lightings, please don’t hesitate contacting us!

In order to give you close up photos so I can provide you with all the detail, photos can tend to make the item look much more larger & everything is more magnified than in actuality. To get an idea of the size, you can view the photos showing them on the ear or if you have a measuring tape ,please pull it out & then compare everything to the measurements I provided you with..