Artisan-Mario Romero"-5 Multi Strand Faceted Turquoise Necklace with Hand Drawn Interchangeable "Chaco Canyon" Sterling Pendant
Artisan-Mario Romero"-5 Multi Strand Faceted Turquoise Necklace with Hand Drawn Interchangeable "Chaco Canyon" Sterling Pendant
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Presently living in LA, Calif., Mario Romero originally hails from El Salvador and has worked side by side with Federico Jimenez for more years than you’d maybe want to know! Mario embraces a more contemporary approach to design and specializes in large dove motifs as well as Sacred Heart jewelry; yet despite focusing on these recurring themes, the jewelry he creates, are nothing less than wearable works of art—first carefully drawn by hand, whether being directly in front of his subject like a painter or from memory. He then meticulously transfers the subject into a “metal art” form.
As a superb artisan, everything Mario creates is hand-made by his skilled hands, so you can be assured each piece bears his direct workmanship. His work is precise and very well executed, reflecting a devotion to detail. I have proudly called him a friend for many years now.
***************************
THE REMOVABLE -INTERCHANGEABLE HAND MADE ”CHACO CANYON” PENDANT:
This very special pendant, while in it’s ‘infancy’ stage, was inspired when Federico, his wife Ellen & Mario spent time at the historical New Mexico site of “Chaco Canyon” back in around 2007. Chaco is a magical place here in New Mexico and is known as the major center of Ancestral Puebloan culture between 850 and 1250 AD. It features these massive, multi-story stone Puebloan dwellings like Pueblo Bonito. It is famous for its unique architecture, advanced astronomical alignments, extensive trade routes, and profound cultural significance. (For those of you who aren’t familiar with Chaco, you can always google it to learn more)
While there, Mario sketched the scene that appears on the pendant, a drawing he later used as the template for the sterling base, so all the hand-cut detail rests atop this oxidized backdrop that depicts the dwellings where the Ancestral Puebloan people once lived. The pendant features the ladder, the famous “Chaco window” and the distinctive “Chaco Door,” while the turquoise cabochon represents the moon. It’s truly a piece of Art!
The pendant is anchored from a tapered bale that features a generous 17 mm opening, so if you’d like to interchange it and wear it on other multi-stand necklaces you own—or perhaps a substantial beaded Navajo pearl strand—you can do that easily. Just keep in mind that if you swap it onto a different strand, you shouldn’t use anything much larger than about 15–16 mm in diameter, since the pendant needs a bit of room to move and breathe on the strands.
THE NECKLACE:
This set was not completely assembled until 2018, when Mario added the coordinating beads to pair with the pendant. He created a fluid color blend using five strands of turquoise in varying hues, which transition seamlessly from one tone to the next. The turquoise is faceted, so the necklace gives off a soft, sparkly shimmer when it catches the light. The cones are handmade by Mario and are made from ‘950’ silver, (95% fine silver, 5% copper) which has a higher-purity than standard sterling.(92.5% fine silver-7.5% copper) They are hallmarked for authenticity (see photo 19 — second from the last).
Because of the extender chain, you can wear this at it’s longest length (25-1/4”) or it’s shortest (22-1/2”) You can put the hook anywhere within the chain. This measurement is without the pendant.
If you’re like me who has a big appreciation for Chaco Canyon, then this is a piece you will proudly wear!
Please refer to each photo since they play a major role to the description!
************************
INFO
ARTIST: Mario Romero
TRIBE: El Salvadorean Artist with Native/Southwestern/Mexican Influences
MATERIALS: Turquoise
TURQUOISE BEAD SIZE: 6 mm Round
STRAND AMOUNT: 5
NECKLACE WEIGHT: 111 Grams (3.91 Ounces)
WEARABLE LONGEST LENGTH: 25-1/4" (Without pendant-laid horizontally-measured end to end)
WEARABLE SHORTEST LENGTH: 22-1/2" (Without pendant-laid horizontally-measured to the useable portion of extender)
ADD PENDANT SIZE: 3" x 1-5/8" (With bale)
CHACO PENDANT WITHOUT BALE: 1-5/8” Round
CHACO PENDANT WEIGHT: 24.6 Grams
PENDANT METAL: Sterling-CONES: 950 Silver
CLOSURE: Hook & Eye Closure
HALLMARK: MS-Sterling (Pendant) MS 950 (Cones)
Comes Gift Boxed
************************
SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT:
Because of the price,this will have a mandatory signature confirmation requirement.. If you're not home in the day & need it 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.
************************
*PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:
In order to give you close up photos so I can provide you with all the fine detail, photos can tend to make the item look gigantic & everything is more magnified than in actuality. So to get an idea of size, you can either look at it on the mannequin (photos) or if you have a measuring tape, please pull it out & compare everything to the measurements I provided you with.
