Kewa Pueblo Artisan-WARREN NIETO-Mosaic Inlay-Symbolic Puebloan "Raincloud' Design with Hand Cut Turquoise "Rain" Tab- String Connected Dangles!
Kewa Pueblo Artisan-WARREN NIETO-Mosaic Inlay-Symbolic Puebloan "Raincloud' Design with Hand Cut Turquoise "Rain" Tab- String Connected Dangles!
THE EARRINGS:
THE SYMBOLIC RAINCLOUDS:
In Pueblo life, corn is one of the most sacred plants, essential to culture, ceremony, and daily sustenance. But corn cannot flourish without the life-giving gift of rain and water, and these earrings are thoughtfully designed to honor that vital relationship.
The impressively hand-cut turquoise tab dangles represent the falling rain beneath intricately rendered rainclouds. The three-sectional top evokes the shape of the raincloud itself, its interior filled with vibrant inlays of turquoise, apple coral, and serpentine. Each color is neatly framed by a sterling wire border, and along the base of the raincloud sit horizontal sterling bars featuring a channel inlay of mother of pearl and black jet. The entire top, artfully rests against a matte-finished black jet backing that help to give them a lighter feel on the ears.
************************
THE “RAIN"
Connected at the bottom of the Raincloud design are three strands of turquoise tabs that represent the “Rain” (or rainfall), which is essential for the corn’s growth and vitality. The two outer dangles feature a three-tier drop and are slightly shorter, while the central strand is longer with a four-tier dangle. These are what act to give the sacred corn its sense of life and movement.
The dangles are especially impressive, because each tab is not only carefully cut and shaped by Warren’s hands, but If you look closely at each photo, you can see how Warren evokes an ancient era —where his Chaco Canyon ancestors connected elements by way of string, which was a traditional Pueblo technique that was used long before jump rings became common in modern day jewelry. (Also see backside)
Both pairs are identical in every way; the sole difference between Design 1 and Design 2 is the color of the Serpentine in the Raincloud motif. Design 1 features a translucent yellow Serpentine, while Design 2 has a richer, darker green Serpentine. Apart from that color variation, the pieces are the same in design and construction. So if you have a preference, choose the pair based on which Serpentine color appeals to you most.
*****************************
ON BOTH:
ARTIST: WARREN NIETO MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR PLATA DE SANTA FE JEWELRY
TRIBE: KEWA PUEBLO VILLAGE (SANTO DOMINGO PUEBLO)
AVERAGE TAB DANGLE SIZE: 15 mm x 9.5 mm RANGE ( ABOUT 5/8 " X 3/8"-SOME ARE SMALLER,WHILE OTHERS ARE SLIGHTLY LARGER)
MOSAIC INLAID ATOP OF: MATTE BLACK JET
MATERIALS: KINGMAN TURQUIOSE-SERPENTINE-APPLE CORAL-MOTHER OF PEARL-JET-STRING
METAL: STERLING EAR STEM-OUTLINE IN RAINCLOUD DESIGN
EAR STYLE: POSTS
TECHNIQUE: TOTALLY MADE BY HAND-LAPIDARY-MOSAIC INLAY-HAND CUT & SHAPED TAB DANGLES
HALLMARK: WN ON 1 EARRING-’KIVA STEP’ HALLMARK ON THE OTHER
COME GIFT BOXED
****************************
DESIGN 1: {BRIGHT YELLOW SERPENTINE IN RAINCLOUD}
MEASUREMENT: ABOUT 3.50" X 1.50"
COMBINED WEIGHT: 27.4 GRAMS (0.96 OUNCES)
*****************************
DESIGN 2: {DARKER GREEN SERPENTINE IN RAINCLOUD}
MEASUREMENT: ABOUT 3.50" X 1.50"
COMBINED WEIGHT: 25.7 GRAMS (0.89 OUNCES)
******************************
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. I usually show how earrings look on the ear, but will be doing this on another day asap. So at the moment, to get an idea of the size, you can pull out a ruler or a measuring tape and then compare everything to the measurements I provided you with. If you need a photo sooner, please email me.
A PERSONAL WORD ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Kewa Puebloan artist Warren Nieto is a true favorite of the public and consistently ranks high at the very top of my personal list for many meaningful reasons. Not only do I consider him a genuine friend whom I deeply admire and trust, but everything Warren creates emanates directly from his rich Ancestral Puebloan roots. These traditions have been carefully and respectfully passed down from generation to generation through a profound ‘oral’ history that stretches back as far as the “CE” years when Warren’s ancestors lived in the historic Chaco Canyon, Pueblo Bonito, and Mesa Verde regions of America, long before the arrival of any settlers.
.
