LEARN "ABOUT JOLENE" CAN BE READ AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LISTING!

THE EARRINGS:
A master lapidarist, these contemporary style turquoise slab earrings were cut & shaped by the hands of Puebloan artist "Jolene Bird". They are precisely cut by 'eye & feel' without the use of calipers, which makes them that much more impressive & is something that definitely deserves appreciation! The rectangular shaped slab is so perfectly cut,not only in shape & size, but in thickness, that you would think they were cut by a commercial manufacture ! Cutting with this type of precision takes a good 'eye' & excellent mathematical skills to cut stone this well!

Hanging from the slabs are also precisely hand cut & shaped dangles & again, you would think they were also commercially cut! The turquoise dangles are drilled at both top & bottom with sterling wire threaded through to give the Lepidolite something to hang from. The faceted lavender colored Lepidolite adds a dash of color & a little sparkle when you turn in the light, due to be faceted.

A NOTE:
If you don't wear ear wire's, there's an alternate way of wearing these & that's by replacing the wire with a little stud post earring.(See photos 6 & 8)-Studs shown are sold in my Santa Fe store & are not listed & I can add them at an additional cost) You can use an all sterling stud, one with turquoise OR just about anything you have on hand! You would put the stud through the sterling wire that's connected to the top of the slab.

Also be sure to check out the 11th & 12th photo where you'll see the PHENOMENAL 25 strand Lepidolite necklace that will pair with these earrings perfectly! (Listed under ‘Necklaces” ) In the 11th photo are a similar pair of earrings, but instead of Lepidolite, they are designed with the elegance of pearls! (Listed under “Earrings 1”)

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MEET THE ARTIST: JOLENE BIRD

There's a reason why that with every Native American juried/judged event that Jolene attends, she will usually win either in "Best of Show, the big Grand Prize or comes in 1st place & when you see the unique type of work she puts out, you'll understand why! She has gone on to win awards for her amazing mosaic pots/vases & I have been honored at carrying many, which have all sold out.

Incorporating what has been passed down through oral history & from generation after generation, Jolene puts her own unique twists on things & pours her heart & soul into everything she puts her hands on & the judges for these Native American events are always left in disbelief because the items she brings to the table, are something you'll never see among other Puebloan artists when it comes to the "Art of Mosaic or for Puebloan Jewelry".

I believe with Jolene, it's not about just being another Puebloan mosaic artist, but it's the way & WHAT she mosaics! I have to laugh sometimes when I say,"There's nothing that Jolene won't turn it into a mosaic piece! She has even gone on to making a chess set, mosaic sunglasses, mosaic chairs and even went as far as fully mosaic inlaying a Gibson guitar!! You name it, Jolene will mosaic it!

The young Jolene learned this art from her grandparents (who were also mosaic artists) but it was her Grandmother Anita, who told her to "seek a new direction" & that is when she went from 'traditional' & took a more "contemporary' approach by starting to design these very high end quality pieces, while gaining the respect of many Native American scholars. Moving forward, she has surpassed 100's of artists from the pueblo.

Jolene lives on the Kewa Pueblo with her immediate family, who she is now passing on everything she knows about this Ancestral Puebloan art form & works very closely with her artisan son Charles Bird, who happens to a real personal favorite of mine who also makes some INCREDIBLY designed jewelry!

Jolene's work is highly collectible & gives us a historical ancestral Puebloan past,but with a contemporary edginess !