They are very fragile. If you are placing a strand of fetishes down on a tabletop or glass top, do so carefully. I’ve seen them break. If they break, use an adhesive like Super glue. The breakage degrades the actual value, but most people who like fetishes are into them for the artistry. If a known artist made the fetishes, you don’t lose much value.
The Santo Domingo Pueblo artisans carve bird fetishes. Their religion only allows birds to be carved. The Domingos produce my very favorite form of Native American jewelry, heishi. Heishi is made by string cuts of beads, no more than an eighth of an inch long. The strand is polished down to a specific diameter on a wheel.
The way to tell if heishi is of quality is to run your fingers down the strands. The smoother the strand, the more valuable it is. Once broken, a strand can never be replaced. Quite a bit of heishi is being made overseas — no good, no value.
Heishi is a family tradition. It is a family job. When you get a piece, the kids may have strung the original beads, which had been cut by their grandfather. Their father and mother may work the polishing wheel. Grandmother may have designed the piece.
Interestingly, if you happen to be in Albuquerque in early January, at a trading post where the artist who made it is bringing the heishi, and if it is turquoise, you can sometimes detect an aroma of cedar in it. Here in New Mexico, cedar is a scrub tree. It is everywhere. It burns quickly and easily. I prefer it myself.
Sterling silver heishi, liquid silver, is made by pouring silver into molds. Necklaces range anywhere from one strand to two hundred. Liquid silver is quite beautiful when a pendent is strung on a large necklace of more than fifty strands. Liquid Silver is not necessarily Native-made. You aren’t paying for a specific artist; you are paying for the weight of the silver.
Choosing and Caring for Turquoise
Turquoise can be found throughout the world. The most beautiful and highly valued is Sleeping Beauty from the played-out Sleeping Beauty Mine. Turquoise Mountain is also quite blue. Green stone comes out of Mexico and a very green stone was mined in the Orient. Persian turquoise out of Iran is gemstone quality, having been used for millennia. It is power-blue with a slight hint of green. Think of the decorating blue/green Martha Stewart was using several years ago.
Article comments
1 - Emil
Yes! Maria Martinez has a great history of pottery making. The San Ildefonso Pueblo has manny great potters.
2 - Sheilah Link
Found your article very helpful and read it even though it was not quite what I was looking for. It was well written and an easy read. Thank you.
3 - Diana
I've found that a great place to buy quality native american art pieces, whether it be pottery, jewelry, rugs, or other crafts, is from a store in Albuquerque, New Mexico called Palms Trading Company. It is a family owned business that sells great products at great prices. To view some of the various items the store sells, go to their website. The store sells authentic pieces, as artists come in daily to trade for other pieces or to sell their work. Check it out-you won't be disappointed.
4 - Swarovski Crystals
Yeah thats great article indeed.I like the history of Pottery making.