THE EARRING CREATION:

Warren and I have collaborated on previous projects where we inspire one another to introduce fresh ideas into the industry that draw directly from the innovations of historical Mesoamerican people and the Ancestral Puebloan people. The long “journey” would take the Mesoamericans to the trading centers in northern Mexico they would walk/travel to. Those goods often found their way into the hands of Warren’s ancestral relatives from Chaco Canyon, revealing a deeper connection between these two regions which were 1000's of miles apart and many just don't realize just how much of a connection there really was between the 2..

The artistic traditions of the Maya/Aztec and the Puebloan people overlap in surprising ways: both produced astonishing mosaics and made extensive use of turquoise. These “Masked Face” earrings are designed to reflect a little of both worlds, honoring the shared workmanship and their connections. Warren understands both since he understands his past.

THE EARRINGS:

Called “The Journey” series, these emulate a Mayan/Aztec masked face that Warren totally made by hand with crushed, ground up materials of Chrysocolla for the face and accenting colors of maroon color Pipestone & Lapis. These materials sit within an outline of sterling wire & are mosaic inlaid atop of black jet. Hanging by way of string connectors, are four 7/8” long Kingman turquoise tab dangles that Warren cut & shaped by hand.

If you zoom in on the photos, you’ll notice this string connection which was exactly how Puebloan artisans traditionally linked components long before metal jump rings were used. Be sure to also view the backside where you’ll see they are tied off and then burnt on the backside for added security.

Because there’s hardly any sterling in these to make a difference, allows these to be very wearable on the ears.(See ‘combined weights’ below for you to decide)

Since they are designed showing 2 different cultures ,the wonderful thing about wearing these is for the fact that you can wear them if you love & collect Mexican jewelry (with the focus especially being on Mexican vintage!) or Pueblo jewelry!

I have 2 more pairs to list that are similar to these, so watch out for those!

PRICING IS BASED ON ARTIST-COST FOR ALL THE MATERIALS (INCLUDING THE HIGHER COST FOR STERLING) -WARRENS TIME TO MAKE THESE!

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ARTIST: WARREN NIETO MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR PLATA DE SANTA FE JEWELRY

TRIBE: KEWA PUEBLO VILLAGE (SANTO DOMINGO PUEBLO)

MEASUREMENTS: 2” X 1-5/8” (Width is taken at the bottom of the face, since this is the widest point)-See photo 5

COMBINED WEIGHT: 25.5 GRAMS (0.89 OUNCES)

AVERAGE TAB DANGLE SIZE: 7/8" X 1/4”- (CAN VARY SINCE THEY ARE HAND MADE)

MOSAIC INLAID ATOP OF: BLACK JET

MATERIALS: CRUSHED CRYSOCOLLA-PIPESTONE-LAPIS-KINGMAN TURQUIOSE DANGLES-STERLING-STRING FOR CONNECTIONS

METAL: STERLING EAR STEM

EAR STYLE: POSTS

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

HALLMARK: “WN” ON ONE EARRING-ALONG WITH WARREN’S ‘KIVA STEP’ HALLMARK ON THE OTHER

COME GIFT BOXED

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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. 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.

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 GIGANTIC & 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..

A PERSONAL WORD ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Everything that Kewa Puebloan artist Warren Nieto creates emanates directly from his rich Ancestral Puebloan roots. Living in a modern world has never let Warren lose sight of all the traditions of the past.. He is one who lives & breathes his ancestral upbringing & it's the 'stories' that are passed down with each generation that are incorporated into everything he makes in today's modern world...Warren's Puebloan historical ancestry is passed on orally, with the rest being learned from the ancient walls inside the dwellings that were chiseled on the rocks of Chaco Canyon.. It's these stories that are told of Pueblo life through a mosaic painting done in stones & shells that carry into his work & separates him from other artists.