Santo Domingo inlay descends from early Ancient Hohokam jewelry: Angie Reano Owen revived it and taught the technique to her family, who now make most of the inlaid shells and earrings sold here. Earrings are inlaid on moon shells and pendants on Pecten shells, in turquoise, spiny oyster, lapis, jet, mother-of-pearl, sugilite and pipestone. Chery Crespin's inlaid pendant necklaces are here too. Christopher Nieto's inlay uses no filler between the pieces, so the surface is completely smooth.
Made from Kingman Turquoise. The necklace is20 inches long. The heart pendant is inlaid on MOP Shell with turquoise, lapis, coral, jet, sugilite and MOP shell.
Made from Green Kingman Turquoise. Inlaid on an orange pecten shell it is 2.5 inches wide and 3 inches high with the silver handmade bail. The necklace is made from green Kingman turquoise, 5mm with olivia shell on the ends. It is 23 inches long.
Inlaid on a moon shell with Kingman turquoise accented with lapis, MOP shell and coral. It is almost 3 inchs in high with the SS bail and 2.5 inches wide. Strung on a clear blue Kingman necklace 5mm beads with an inlaid square bead. 21 inches long.
The necklace is made from Kingman Turquoise squares. It is 22 inches long. The pendant is Inlaid on jet with coral, jet, lapis, MOP Shell, and turquoise. The pendant is 4.5 inches long and 1.5 inches wide.
The pendant is inlaid on jet with jet, MOP shell, coral, lapis and turquoise. The pendant 3.5 inches long and 1 inch wide. The necklace is made from 5mm jet beads and is 21 inches long Signed on the back of the pendant.
This pendant is a long, tapering shape set on jet and filled with a mosaic of small rectangles and wedges: turquoise, red coral, deep blue lapis, white mother-of-pearl shell, a yellow-green stone and a piece with warm orange-brown matrix, each one framed by thin lines of black jet. A smaller inlaid piece in the same colors rides on the strand above it and holds the pendant on a ring, so the two read as one design. It hangs below the collarbone on the strand of jet beads, which closes at the back with a few small silver beads and a clasp, and the plain black strand keeps the eye on the pendant's color.
Chris Nieto, listed as Christopher on the artist pages, works at every scale, from big showpieces down to small, detailed ones, and this pendant, built up from many small pieces, shows the detailed side. He fits the pieces tight against each other with nothing added to fill the joints, which is why a surface like this one is smooth across all its colors, and he uses only natural stone and shell with no dyes.
The necklace is 19" long. The shell is 2" wide and 3" long with the silver bail. Old Kingman turquoise. The shell is accented with jet, coral and Melo Shell.
The pectin shell pendant is inlaid with pen shell and accents of turquoise, coral, serpentine and MOP shell. The strand necklace is made from jet stone accented with turquoise, melo shell, pipestone and serpentine. The beads are 4mm in diameter. It is 20 inches long. The shell is 3 inches long with the silver bail and 2.5 inches wide.
The necklace is 23 inches long. The shell is 2" wide and 3" long with the silver bail. Inlaid on a moon shell with coral and accented with Old Kingman turquoise, jet, spiny oyster shell, MOP shell and melo shell.
The necklace is 19" long. The shell is 2" wide and 3" long with the silver bail. Kingman turquoise. The shell is accented with jet, MOP shell and spiny oyster shell.
Made from 1/4 to 1/2 inch lapis nuggets with accents of spiny oyster shell, turquoise, Olivia shell and sugilite. The square pendantl at the bottom of the necklace is 2 inches long and 1.5 inch wide, inlaid on all 4 sides. The pendant is inlaid with lapis, coral, turquoise, MOP shell, jet and melo shell. The necklace is 24 inches long . The drop on the bottom is 5 inches long. Picture to the left is the other side of the pendant.
Strung on 3 strands of white melo shell beads graduated from 10mm. The 3 placks are inlaid on jet with coral, turquoise, serpentine, jet and purple sugilite. The middle plack is 3 inches long by 1.75 inches wide, the side placks are 2.15 inches long and 1.25 inches wide. The necklace itself is 23 inches in length. Earrings to match are 2 inches long with the wire and 1/2 inche wide.
6-7mm lapis nugget beads with a small square bead (1/4 inch inlaid all around) and a large pendant inlaid obn spiney oyster shell with turquoise, coral, MOP shell, and lapis. The pendant is 2 inches long and 1 5/5 inch wide.
Inlaid on jet. Signed on the back by Mary Tofoya. It is inlaid on jet with turquoise, coral, pipestone, serpentine, gaspeite and jet. The necklace is 20 inches long. 4mm in diameter, made from melo shell with accents of jet, pipestone and turquoise. The pendant is 2.25 inches long and 1.5 inches wide.
The pendant is a rectangle of inlay set on jet, with a small tab of sky-blue turquoise rising above one top corner. Inside the dark frame, bars and blocks of turquoise, gaspeite, coral, pipestone, serpentine and jet are laid side by side, so the eye moves from sky blue to lime green, orange-red, a long bar of dark red, deep green, and a few pale yellow and gray pieces. It hangs from a strand of small melo shell beads in a warm cream color, broken up by beads of black jet, pipestone and turquoise. The light strand stays quiet and lets the bright pendant sit at the center of the neckline, over a plain top or a simple dress.
The signature on the back is Mary Tofoya's. Like all the jewelry sold here, it is the handwork of a Native American artist, in natural stone and shell that were cut and polished by hand; the shop belongs to the Indian Arts and Crafts Association.
9 piece solid inlaid fan is made from jet, lapis. coral and MOP shell on one side and coral , dark-lip MOP shell, lapis and gold-lip MOP shell on the other side. It is 3.5 inches long in the middle and 3 inches wide. The necklace is srung on Lapis beads, 6mm in diameter and 19 inches long with one square bead made from jet, MOP shell and lapis 3/8 inch square and 1/4 inch thick.
Inlaid on an elk antler with turquoise, jet, coral, spiny oyster shell, lapis, turquoise and MOP shell. It is 1.5 inches tall and 3/4inch wide. On a jet necklace. Beads graduated from 10mm. The necklace is 19 inches long.
Chris does remarkable work. This is one of his best. The pendant is inlaid on jet with serpentine, turquoise, coral, MOP shell, lapis and jet. The pendant is 3.75 inches long and 1 inch wide. The necklace is made from 4mm jet beads accented with turquosie and is 22 inches long .
The necklace is 20 inches lonf. The beads are spiny oyster shell, 7mm in diamter accented with lapis beads and an 1/4" sqaure inlaid bead, The pendant is 2.5 inches in long and 1.5 inches wide. inlaid on both sides with MOP shell, lapis, melo shell, coral and Turquoise on one side and all blue kingman turquoise on the other.
4mm spiney oyster shell beads with a small square bead (1/4 inch inlaid all around) and a large pendant inlaid on both side of a full shell with turquoise, coral, MOP shell and lapis. The pendant is 1.2 inches long and 1 inch wide.
The pendant is inlaid on MOP Shell with pipestone, turquoise, MOP shell, sugilite, serpentine and jet. It is 3.5 inches long and 2.5 inches wide. The necklace is 5mm Kingman turquoise beads, 24 inches long.
Made from Kingman turquoise. Silver barrels and inlaid barrels thru out. Silver pendant with red ceramic cab. The necklace is 26 inches long. The turquoise beads are graduated from 8mm. The barrels and round beads are mostly 1.2 inch in diameter, different lengths. Like most of Ronald's necklaces, very unique.
Inlaid the ancient way on cottonwood with kingman turquoise and spiney oyster shell heart. it is 3.75 inches long with the wire and 2.5 inches wide. On an 18 inch adjustable to 21 inch leather cord.
Inlaid on an elk antler with turquoise, jet, coral, spiny oyster shell, lapis, turquoise,sugilite and MOP shell. It is 1.5 inches tall and 3/4inch wide. On a Turquoise necklace. Beads graduated from 10mm. The necklace is 21 inches long.
Inlaid on jet with kingman turquoise, coral, lapis, MOP shell, abalone shell and jet. It is 3.75 inches long with the wire and 2.5 inches wide. On an 18 inch adjustable to 21 inch leather cord.
Inlaid on and orange Pecten shell in the traditional pattern of turquoise on the top, jet and conus shell (black and white) border. This shell is 2inches by 2 inches. Blue Kingman turquoise. 3mm Kingman turquoise beads with olive shell on the top. 19 inches long.
Inlaid in the ancient way, on cottonwood with Kingman turquoise and spiny oyster shell in the middle. 3.25 inches long and 1.75 inches wide. On an 18 inch adjustable to 21 in leather cord.
Inlaid in the ancient way, on cottonwood with Kingman turquoise and spiny oyster shell in the middle. 2.25 inches long and 1 inches wide. On an 18 inch adjustable to 21 in leather cord.
Inlaid in the ancient way, on cottonwood with Kingman turquoise and spiny oyster shell in the middle. 3.5 inches long and 2.25 inches wide. On a an adjustable to 21 in leather cord.
