Kewa Puebloan Artist-JOEL PAJARITO-Ancestral Puebloan-3 Strand Hand Cut Melon Shell Heishi with Hand Cut Fresh Water Abalone FISH Charms
Kewa Puebloan Artist-JOEL PAJARITO-Ancestral Puebloan-3 Strand Hand Cut Melon Shell Heishi with Hand Cut Fresh Water Abalone FISH Charms
ENJOY THIS NOW @ 15% OFF-WILL NOT BE ON SALE FOR TOO LONG!
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Kewa Puebloan artist “JOEL PAJARITO” is the grandson of the legendary “MARY CORIZ” and the son of multiple award winner “ANTHONY LOVATO”, Joel has had a flood of artistic inspiration around him all his life..
These 2 have been significant influences that have inspired Joel throughout his relatively young career as an artist, which spans around 41 years.
Growing up in a household filled not only with talented artisan family members but also with reputable, well-known artists who visited the Lovato home regularly, Joel was immersed in a rich creative environment. Because there were constant conversations about jewelry in that household, he developed into a thoughtful and skilled communicator on the subject.
Drawing inspiration from both of these remarkable artists, it was ultimately his father, Anthony, who taught Joel the art of Tufa Casting, a technique you’ll see both Joel and Anthony employing in many of their pieces. That Tufa cast tradition, however, was itself passed down to Anthony from his grandfather. From Joel’s grandmother Mary, he absorbed the rich, enduring traditions of Puebloan jewelry as seen in this necklace—which represent a centuries-old art tracing back to his ancestral Puebloan relatives of the storied Chaco Canyon region of New Mexico.
He’s extremely proud to live in the Kewa Pueblo Village & is a very proud Puebloan family man who has become an accomplished artist in his own right. Joel’s creations have garnered considerable popularity and have caught the attention of numerous buyers, all due to the extensive range of creative designs that he offers to the public. He has the unique ability to seamlessly blend contemporary Native styles with traditional methodologies.
THE ABALONE FISH CHARMS:
Paying homage to Joel’s ancestors, Joel tried to stay as close as he could in making this necklace to the time period of his Ancestral Puebloan ancestors.
One thing for example, is the reason why he made the chunky sized hand sculpted Abalone fish to depict “Fresh Water” fish and not “Ocean” fish, is because the Ancestral Puebloan people were around rivers & not oceans. Abalone was also the perfect choice for these because the abalone emulates some of the colors that you’ll see in many fish, including trout.
These, plus accents of Turquoise, Baroque pearls, Mother of Pearl, Orange Spiny Oyster, Italian coral are strung sporadically though the heishi necklace that give a bit of color in the necklace.
THE 3 STRAND MELON SHELL HEISHI NECKLACE:
The 5 mm round heishi is made in an extremely time-consuming manner, and although each and every bead is literally handmade, these beads are produced using more modern tools and techniques rather than the primitive implements his ancestors once relied upon.
Starting with small hand-cut squares that Joel shaped from a peachy-cream Melon shell, he carefully drilled each and every hole by hand. After that, he ‘hand-nipped’ the squared-off corners of each bead so they could be smoothed and rounded on the wheel, which finishes them into round formed beads. (This labor-intensive process is what dictates the price!.)
The heishi is finished with 9" of braided waxed string on each side, which lets you wear the necklace at its shortest length of 25.5" or extended to about 42" (to allow enough room for tying). Remaining true to the period, sterling cones were not used at the ends, since those fittings weren’t typical back then. If you prefer a more finished look, you can purchase sterling cones online and install them yourself if you’re handy, or take the piece to a jeweler to have the cones professionally fitted.
IF YOU ZOOM IN ON THE LAST 2 PHOTOS,YOU’LL SEE THE 4 STRAND CHARM/TREASURE NECKLACE THAT WILL SOON BE LISTED!
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ARTIST: JOEL PAJARITO (ANTHONY LOVATO’S SON)
TRIBAL AFFILIATION: KEWA VILLAGE-(SANTO DOMINGO PUEBLO)
WEIGHT: 5.6 OUNCES (160 GRAMS)
LENGTH: CAN BE WORN AS SHORT AS 25.5” OR TO AS LONG AS 42” (DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU TIE THE STRING.)
HEISHI MATERIAL: MELON SHELL
‘AVERAGE’ MELON SHELL HEISHI SIZE: 5 MM ROUND
STRAND AMOUNT:3
FRESH WATER FISH MATERIAL : ABALONE
CHARM AMOUNT: 5
FISH MEASUREMENTS: SEE PHOTOS FOR EACH
OTHER MATERIALS: ORANGE SPINY OYSTER- MOTHER OF PEARL-BAROQUE PEARLS-ITALIAN CORAL-TURQUOISE
HALLMARK: “JOEL-’26 (ON THE BACK OF THE SPINY OYSTER-SEE 2ND TO LAST PHOTO)
COMES GIFT BOXED
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SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT:
Anything with a high price tag, will have a mandatory signature confirmation requirement & will come insured (reflected in shipping price).. If you're not home in the day & need this shipped where it 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 do not consider myself a 'professional photographer" but I do try my hardest to give you photos that are 'realistic" in color. Please realize that all monitors are different, so the materials can look more vivid (or duller) from one computer to the next.
To give you close up photos so I can show you all the intricate detail, pictures tend to make everything look gigantic & everything is more magnified than in actuality. Please zoom in on the mannequin photos that will give you an idea of the size or you can pull out a tape measure & compare to my given measurements above.
