Abalone Shell and Heishi Santo Domingo Necklace

Our Abalone and Heishi  Shell Santo Domingo Necklace is a striking celebration of natural shell and traditional handwork. Handmade by a husband-and-wife artisan team from Santo Domingo Pueblo, this multi-strand necklace immediately draws the eye with its generous rectangular pieces of abalone. Each piece has its own shape, markings, and luminous surface, giving the necklace an organic rhythm that feels both sophisticated and wonderfully individual. Tiny colorful accents scattered throughout add unexpected moments of turquoise, coral, green, and purple.

The true star is the abalone shell. Known for its extraordinary iridescence, abalone seems to change every time the light moves across it. Silvery pearl, smoky gray, ocean blue, soft green, lavender, and hints of pink appear across the surface of these hand-shaped pieces. Some reveal dramatic natural patterns while others have a quieter pearlescent glow. This incredible variation means no two sections of the necklace—and no two necklaces made from natural abalone—can ever look precisely alike.

For the Santo Domingo, or Kewa Pueblo, people, working with shell is part of a long and celebrated jewelry-making tradition. This necklace beautifully demonstrates the patience behind that work. Each piece of shell must be selected, cut, drilled, shaped, smoothed, and arranged by hand. The husband-and-wife team then balances the individual pieces across multiple strands, combining larger abalone elements with finely worked heishi and colorful accents to create movement without losing harmony.

When Jean Marie selected this necklace, she was captivated by the abalone’s constantly changing colors and the artistry of the couple who created it. She especially loved that the necklace feels different from every angle, as though each shell holds its own tiny landscape. For Jean Marie, it is exactly the kind of piece worth discovering: handmade, deeply connected to material and tradition, and filled with the unmistakable character of the people who made it.