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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.

Ancestral Puebloan sites, such as the renowned Chaco Canyon, have documented that pueblo ancestors were situated at the heart of extensive turquoise trade routes that stretched from the Pacific Northwest all the way down to Central America. These important trade routes not only facilitated the exchange of turquoise but also brought in a variety of shells, tusks, and other natural materials into the cultural sphere of ancestral Pueblo communities. This rich influx of diverse materials played a significant role in making their intricate mosaic pieces vibrant, colorful, and truly unique, reflecting a broad network of connections across regions.

An extremely proud Pueblo man and equally devoted family man, Warren consistently draws his inspiration from a 'higher power' and his 'spiritual guides,' who grant him the 'eye' to allow his hands to bring forth all the stunning jewelry he so masterfully creates. What you’ll receive from Warren are like beautifully painted Puebloan stories, artfully expressed through the thoughtful combination of many vibrant stones and delicate shells.

THE NECKLACE:

When the idea of recreating some of the ancient Ancestral Puebloan and pre-historic Hohokam jewelry first came to mind, there was truly no other artist I could trust to bring this vision to life with authenticity and care, than Warren. He immediately understood exactly what I was referring to and shared in the excitement about the project. Knowing that he was on board to create these pieces meant everything to me, and I was confident the work would be done with the utmost respect and skill, along with his historical knowledge to back it..

This ancient inspired necklace is a distinctive part of Warren’s “Ancestral Puebloan Series,” where he thoughtfully takes us on a journey back through time with designs that are reminiscent of the jewelry his ancestors might have worn, dating back to approximately the 1100-1200 CE time period. While making this necklace, he paid meticulous attention to every little detail, ensuring that it stays as historically accurate and faithful to the original era as possible. (See photos 2 & 5)

Remarkably, no metal was used whatsoever in the design; instead, this necklace is entirely made using techniques where “Lapidary” plays a crucial and important role, highlighting the beauty and skill involved in cutting & shaping all the materials.

The main focus of the necklace is an orange Spiny Oyster shell that Warren cut in the shape of the undeniable southwestern Thunderbird.. Laying atop of the spiny oyster is a mosaic inlaid Thunderbird that follows the form of the oyster shell and is beautifully made with green Nacozari Sonoran turquoise with a cross center made of black jet & a rectangular cut of Abalone. This original thunderbird can be seen in photos 2 & 5. Square cuts of Kingman turquoise are used as accents around the bird. If you zoom in on the trapezoidal shape dangling drop below the Thunderbird, you will see that the Spiny Oyster drop is actually connected by way of string. This was the way the Pueblo people would connect things, which was before they started using metal jump rings!

Threaded through the top of the Thunderbird, is a graduation of Kingman turquoise beads, where he carefully cut 4 Spiny Oyster accenting tabs (Per side) that are threaded through.. Keeping it as authentic as possible, he created 2 thick fully mosaic inlaid reversible cones in order so it can be tied as close to the cones to make it as short as possible, but the strings are long enough to tie where you like in order to wear it longer! Impressively added, are 2 sliver like Spiny Oyster cuts that finalize the string closure.

Be sure to check out Warren’s Ancestral Puebloan earrings & more necklaces, including "HOHOKAM" inspired necklaces!! (A ultra gorgeous 5 strand Charm Necklace from the series can be found under “Necklaces”, whereas all the others are under this same “Necklace 2” category! Earrings are under the “Earrings 3” category!

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ANCESTRAL PUEBLO SERIES NECKLACE:

ARTIST: WARREN NIETO - MADE EXCLUSIVELY FOR PLATA de SANTA FE JEWELRY

TRIBAL AFFILIATION: KEWA VILLAGE-(SANTO DOMINGO PUEBLO)

WEARABLE LENGTH: 20” (MEASURED LAYING HORIZONTALLY-FROM ONE END OF THE SPINY OYSTER NUGGETS (ABOVE THE “CONES”) TO THE OTHER- MEASURED WITHOUT THE PENDANT)

FROM STRING END TO STRING END: 34” (MEASURED LAYING HORIZONTALLY)

WEIGHT: 146.6 GRAMS (5.16 OUNCES)

THUNDERBIRD PENDANT MEASUREMENT: VERY TOP OF THUNDERBIRD TO THE BOTTOM OF THE DANGLING SPINY OYSTER BOTTOM: 4-5/8” X 2-3/4”

THUNDERBIRD ALONE: 3” X 2-3/4”

TOTAL LENGTH:FROM AS SHORT AS: 24-5/8” TO ABOUT AS LONG:38-1/2”

TURQUOISE MOSAIC IN THUNDERBIRD PENDANT & “CONES”: NACOZARI SONORAN TURQUOISE

OTHER MATERIALS: SPINY OYSTER-KINGMAN TURQUOISE(BEAD NECKLACE-ACCENTS ON TOP OF THUNDERBIRD)-ABALONE-WAXED STRING

TURQUOISE BEAD SIZE: GRADUATES FROM AS LARGE AS 8 MM DOWN TO 4 MM ROUND

STRAND AMOUNT: 1

HALLMARK: “WN” WITH “KIVA STEPS” ON BACK OF PENDANT

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,pictures tend to make the item look much more larger & everything is more magnified than in actuality. So to get an accurate idea of how big this is, please either check it out being worn to get a rough idea (see photos) or you can pull out a tape measure & compare to my given measurements above.