{"product_id":"abalone-shell-pendant-and-necklace-santo-domingo","title":"Abalone Shell Pendant and Necklace Santo Domingo","description":"\u003cp class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchorContainer\"\u003eThere is an almost hypnotic quality to Our Abalone Shell Pendant and Necklace, handmade by a Kewa (Santo Domingo) artisan and created as a celebration of one extraordinary natural material. Individually shaped abalone beads form the necklace, each revealing its own shifting palette of charcoal, bronze, pearl, violet, emerald, and ocean blue. Abalone’s remarkable iridescence comes from nacre, the layered material lining the shell and because no two sections develop exactly alike, every bead is naturally one of a kind. Shaping, drilling, polishing, matching, and stringing these irregular pieces by hand requires tremendous patience and an intuitive understanding of the shell.\u003cspan class=\"PDq2pG_selectionAnchor\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe magnificent round mosaic pendant gives the necklace its unmistakable presence. Rather than assigning a specific sacred meaning to its circular form without knowing the artisan’s intention, its significance can be understood through the long Kewa tradition of transforming shell into adornment. Shell has been used in Pueblo jewelry for generations, historically arriving through extensive trade networks connecting inland communities with coastal materials. Here, slender pieces of abalone are individually cut, fitted, and assembled into a mosaic surface. The horizontal arrangement allows every fragment to catch the light differently, transforming the pendant into what feels like a miniature landscape of water and reflected sky.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat makes this necklace especially exceptional is the sheer amount of handwork involved. The artisan is not working with standardized components; she must respond to the thickness, curvature, coloration, and natural markings of each piece of shell. The pendant alone requires numerous fragments to be cut and fitted into a harmonious whole, while the necklace is carefully composed so its individual abalone forms flow beautifully around the neck. It cannot truly be duplicated, nature created each pattern once, and the artisan transformed those variations into a singular composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor Jean Marie, that individuality is precisely what makes the piece so compelling. Her close relationship with the artisan has given her a deep appreciation for the patience behind this increasingly demanding kind of work, and she takes particular pleasure in patronizing and preserving it through her selections. Jean Marie was captivated by the extraordinary central pendant and the way the entire necklace seems to change with every movement. Sophisticated, luminous, and unmistakably handmade, this is more than jewelry, it is a collectible piece of wearable art in which the beauty of the sea and the hand of the Kewa artisan become inseparable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMade in New Mexico, USA.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLength 22\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PAX PHILOMENA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55195450212671,"sku":"ABALONESHELLPENDANTNECKLACE-OS","price":995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2529\/6354\/files\/Abalone_Shell_Pendant_and_Necklace_Santo_Domingo2.jpg?v=1787959712","url":"https:\/\/paxphilomena.com\/products\/abalone-shell-pendant-and-necklace-santo-domingo","provider":"PAX PHILOMENA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}