Inv# RCSTS1903

Guarantee:  Spiny Oyster Shell & Turquoise Slab earrings with Sterling Silver ear wires; by KEWA [Santo Domingo] Native American jewelry artist Ronald Chavez ; approx. 2.2” long.

Detailed Description:  Earrings with Sterling Silver ear wires suspending a 1.7” long tear drop shaped slab consisting of Spiny Oyster Shell & Turquoise; made by KEWA [Santo Domingo] Native American jewelry artist Ronald Chavez.  ‘Spiny Oyster’ is a common name used for this beautiful shell, but it’s a misleading name because it is not shell from an oyster.  Rather, this is the shell of a non-oyster family of ocean bivalve mollusks, whose scientific name is Spondylus.  Depending on the Spondylus species, a ‘Spiny Oyster’ shell can be multi-colored with shades of white, red, orange, purple, and gold.  The most valued shell colors are those with large amounts of red or orange and gold.  Like this Ronald Chavez earring pair, the white/orange/gold Spiny Oyster shell makes a stunningly beautiful earring when combined with turquoise in a slab form.

Materials:  Spiny Oyster shell and Turquoise slab; Sterling Silver ear wires

Detailed Dimensions.  [Dimensions are approximate; measurements made with a micrometer]

• Earring Total length including ear wires:  2.2”; with 0.5” long ear wire & 1.7” long slab drop

• Earring slab widest width:  0.7”

• Weight:  10.6 grams

Comments.  We are delighted to offer these beautiful turquoise & ‘Spiny Oyster’ slab earrings hand-crafted by Kewa [Santo Domingo] Native American artist Ronald Chavez.  Each of Ronald’s earrings is a reflection of his artistic vision and skill, and his Spiny Oyster/turquoise slab earrings are popular.

He begins by envisioning the design, shape, size and beauty he wants to create out of specific small pieces of a slab of turquoise & Spiny Oyster shell.  To produce a beautiful earring pair, he also has to select a second piece of slab that will closely match the same colors, design & pattern of turquoise & shell as the first piece!  Next is hand-shaping the pieces into appealing shapes; followed by polishing the surfaces & carefully drilling holes for the sterling silver wire.  Unskilled or hurried work can crack, scratch, or demolish turquoise and other semi-precious stones & ‘slabs’ because they are relatively soft materials.  So we are awed when we think about the artistic vision—not just the time involved and difficulty of hand-selecting, hand-shaping, & hand-drilling the slab pieces—it requires to produce beautiful hand-crafted earrings like these!

The jewelry market is now flooded with inexpensive fake “American Indian” silver jewelry that in fact is machine-made & mass-produced in factories in foreign countries.  Many Native American artists rely on sale of their unique art to support themselves and their families.  So by purchasing Ronald’s earrings, you are supporting not only a skilled Native American artist, but also helping to preserve the threatened hand-crafted art knowledge, vision and skills handed down by previous generations of their ancestors.  Native Americans are not only the first occupants of America—they also are the first American artists as reflected in prehistoric dwellings, petroglyphs, pictographs, paintings, basketry, pottery, foot wear, and clothing.