Diamond Cut Lapis and Heishi Shell Necklace Santo Domingo

Our Diamond Cut Lapis and Heishi Shell Necklace Santo Domingo is a museum-quality expression of Kewa artistry, handmade by the celebrated female Santo Domingo artisan whose work has been exhibited at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York. Three graceful strands of intensely saturated lapis, with beads approximately 3mm across, create a luminous field of cobalt and midnight blue. The exceptional luster of this lapis is especially striking: as the light moves across the hand-faceted surfaces, the blue seems to shift and sparkle from every angle. Tiny accents of turquoise and coral-toned shell appear throughout, giving the composition the feeling of a carefully assembled collection rather than a perfectly repeated pattern. The result is sophisticated, joyful, and entirely individual.

Each small lapis bead has been faceted entirely by hand. This diamond-cut treatment is an unusual and distinctive choice in Native American jewelry, requiring exceptional precision to create the angled surfaces and bring out the stone’s remarkable luster. Working at this diminutive scale, the artisan has achieved a beautiful consistency while allowing each bead to retain its own character.

At the ends of each strand, approximately an inch of tiny shell heishi beads—about 1mm each—provides a delicate, refined finish. Beads this small are exceptionally difficult to make: each must be carefully shaped, drilled, strung, ground, and polished by hand. Interspersed among the lapis are additional fine elements of traditional heishi, one of the great jewelry-making traditions of Santo Domingo Pueblo. The subtle differences between the beads are not imperfections; they are evidence of the human hand. Against the brilliant lapis, flashes of turquoise, warm red-orange, and creamy shell give the necklace a painterly rhythm that feels both ancient and remarkably modern.

Lapis lazuli has been treasured for thousands of years, with the finest historic material famously associated with Afghanistan. This piece is made from Afghanistani lapis that the artisan has stockpiled for years as it is difficult to come by today, Its extraordinary blue comes principally from lazurite, often accompanied by pale calcite and tiny golden flecks of pyrite.

Jean Marie has developed a close relationship with this artisan over the years and continues to seek out her pieces because they combine technical mastery with a deeply personal sensibility. The artist learned jewelry making from her mother and grandmother and creates only a limited number of these demanding works. For Jean Marie, patronizing her work is as meaningful as wearing it. Elegant with a white shirt, silk tunic, or our Pax Philomena kaftan, this necklace is wearable art—museum-recognized craftsmanship brought intimately into everyday life.

Length: 18.5"

Weight: 1.3 ounces

Lapis stones 2.9-3mm

Heishi beads 1.1-1.2 mm

Made in New Mexico, USA.