June 2017: Heishi

Heishi means “shell bead” in Keres, the language spoken at Santo Domingo Pueblo, but the word has come to mean any drilled and rolled bead, be it brown pen shell, white clam shell, turquoise or coral. Traditionally hand-rolled against a hard surface to shape them, the smaller the bead, the more patience and skill required.
One of the best makers of heishi was Charles Lovato (1937-1987), who has been credited with revolutionizing bead making at Santo Domingo Pueblo. Lovato, an accomplished painter, poet and jeweler, was also instrumental in incorporating non-traditional materials such as gold and lapis into Santo Domingo jewelry. His skill at jewelry making was recognized with a posthumous show at the Wheelwright Museum in 1991, honoring him and Charles Loloma as innovators in jewelry making. Lovato was the first artist to use a combination of different materials to create an ombre effect, an exquisite and subtle gradation of color in his heishi necklaces. This labor intensive style was later adopted by other artists, and can be seen in other necklaces in this collection.
When worn, heishi moves wonderfully against the body, and looks best against sun kissed, summer warmed skin.