About Heishe

The starting point: Melon Shell, Pipestone, Black Jet and Turquoise in the rough

 
More Turquoise, Coral,Variscite in the rough

 
Turquoise, Pipestone, Black Jet rough w/ Pipestone squares in the background

Two Natural Red Coral branches with some cut coral rounds before the holes are drilled

White Mother of Pearl Shell cut a special way into strips to bring out the luster and sparkle of the shell

Pile of Turquoise beads before hole-drilling. Three beads already drilled and three drill bits.

Melon Shell cut into strips with holes drilled. Before cut into squares

Melon Shell cut into squares with edges nipped. Melon on wire after grinding into beads

Pipestone cut and drilled, before grinding

Table set up with work materials

Rough and Ground Melon Shell and Pipestone

60-70% of the material is wasted through the bead-making process. A pile of leftover turquoise.

The origin of heishi is fascinating, and is inescapably linked to the ancient history of the people most proficient in its making, the Santo Domingo Pueblo Indians. It is safe to say that this is the oldest form of jewelry in New Mexico (and perhaps in North America), pre-dating the introduction of metals. Centuries ago, the shells used by the Pueblo Indians to make beads were obtained in trade from the Gulf of California.

When one looks at a string of heishi, (also spelled "heishe") the first reaction is frequently "how on earth can a person do that?" or "to be so perfect, it must be done by machines." The truth is, if it seems exquisitely perfect, it was most likely made by the hands of a highly-skilled, extremely patient crafts person. Knowing the steps involved in the creation of a good string of heishi can help a potential buyer distinguish - and appreciate the difference - between excellent hand-made jewelry and imitations.

First, the raw materials are chosen. The most commonly used are seashells of all kinds - dark and light olive shells, spiny oysters, mother of pearl and melon shell. Coral and stones such as lapis, turquoise, jet, pipestone and serpentine are also used to create exquisite contemporary heishi necklaces. The artisan must pay anywhere from $4-$5 per pound for olive shells to thousands of dollars per pound for high-grade lapis, turquoise or uncut coral.

Now the process begins. With vulnerable fingers on either side of a whirring blade, the raw material is sliced into strips. Next, small squares are made by biting off pieces of the slice with a hand tool such as a nipper. Using tweezers to hold the tiny squares and a dentist's carbide bur, a small hole is drilled into the center of each square. After these rough squares of shell or stone are strung together on fine wire, the process of grinding, shaping and smoothing is begun.

The artist shapes the string of rough beads by moving the string again and again against a turning stone wheel, controlling the fineness and diameter of the beads with his hands. At this point, many beads (stone or shell) will be lost - they will chip or will crack and fly off as the grinder catches a flaw or burr. Each type of material must be ground separately. For example, pipestone and jet (high-grade anthracite coal) are soft and grind down much faster than the harder materials such as turquoise, shell or lapis. Also, some materials are more difficult to work with than others. With Natural Turquoise, for example, approximately 60-70% is lost. To minimize loss, each bead must be nipped into a rough circle before being ground.

By now a string of cylinders, often graduated in size, has been formed and is ready for sanding. The heishi is further shaped and smoothed with ever-finer grades of sandpaper. The string is then washed with clear water and put in the sun to air-dry. Finally, the string of heishi is given a high polish on a turning leather belt. The smooth, polished beads are now ready to be strung, either together or with other beads, as a piece of fine jewelry.

Following these steps, it will take from two days to a week to prepare a single strand of heishi.

A string of good heishi will have a uniform consistency. If you gently pull it through your hand, it should feel like a single serpent-like piece. (Note: Precisely because of the handiwork involved, a fine string of heishi may contain a slightly flawed or chipped individual bead.)

On the other hand, inferior "heishe-style" beads will often have holes that are too large, making the strand look and feel uneven and irregular. To make matters worse, this bead work is frequently made of a variety of plastic materials of all colors, including block or reconstituted jet, coral or turquoise.

It cannot be overemphasized how rare it is to find a strand of Natural Turquoise Heishe today. It takes an enormous amount of time and patience to work with Natural turquoise. Natural Turquoise will chip, break and crack if worked too fast. It is expensive to buy and with the abundance of stabilized turquoise available at Santo Domingo, there is no one willing to put in the time to make Natural Strands. Also, the artisans worry that there will be no one willing to pay what a Natural Turquoise Strand will cost so they don't bother. We have been working closely with Lillie and Marvin Lovato of the Santo Domingo Pueblo. They have been showing at Santa Fe Indian Market for over twenty years and have been making heishe for over thirty years. They are purists, love what they do and love working with natural materials. Lillie especially loves natural turquoise. She remembers being at her grandfather's side as a little girl while he was spinning and grinding natural turquoise. She remembers the smell and it makes her feel good to smell natural again. They are making some select strands of Natural for us from turquoise we've been collecting for over fifteen years. We believe there is a market for these beautiful works of art.

In the end, the quality of fine heishi comes directly from the ingenuity and integrity of the individual artisan, whether he or she has been reviewed by SWAIA for acceptance into Indian Market, or is a member of the IACA (Indian Arts and Crafts Association of which Skystone is a member) are means of assuring that you are buying quality heishi. And of course, an ethical gallery or dealer will help you learn about the artist, the beads themselves and the creative process. The final guarantee is a certificate of authenticity which may be - and should be - requested from the individual gallery or dealer.

 
Closeup of Rough and Ground Melon Shell strung on wire. The ground beads will be polished and restrung.

 
Marvin  Lovato setting up grinder at work bench

Setting up the water drip before grinding beads

 
Two steps: Each bead has to be ground to the desired thickness, on each side, one at a time