Bluejoy Genuine Natural American Turquoise 3-8mm Graduated Heishi Bead 16-inch Strand for Jewelry Making

Description

The literal meaning of heishi is "shell" and specifically refers to pieces of shell which have been drilled and ground into beads and then strung into necklaces. More and more frequently, however, heishi (pronounced hee-shee) has come to refer to hand-made tiny beads made of any natural material, like turquoise.The origin of heishi is fascinating indeed, and is inescapably linked to the ancient history of the people most proficient in its making, the Santo Domingo and San Felipe 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.When one looks at a string of heishi, 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 craftsperson.Today, turquoise heishi element is becoming more and more popular in Native American jewelry designs. Artists and designers have developed great number of selections of heishi related turquoise jewelry lines and collections in Southwest America.With just a few simple steps of stringing, a gorgeous heishi necklace can be easily created with our heishi bead strand. Also, some other elements (like silver spacer beads) can also be incorporated into the strands, to create a truly unique personal turquoise jewelry collection. What’s more, two or more strands can be combined by re-arranging the order of the beads, to create an elegant piece of long heishi sweater necklace.