Literally meaning, “shell,†heishi (hee shee) is considered the most ancient jewelry form of New Mexico and is linked to the Santo Domingo and San Felipe Pueblo Indians. Heishi originally referred to pieces of shell exquisitely crafted and strung on necklaces. Now it may also refer to small hand-made beads of other materials.
Small tubes, also known as 'liquid silver', used to make silver tube jewellery, with or without other beads.
eishi means "shell" and specifically refers to pieces of shell drilled and ground into beads and then strung into necklaces. Most recently, however, heishi (pronounced hee-shee) has come to refer to handmade tiny beads made of any natural material.
Heishi (pronounced he-she) is jewelry made from disk-shaped beads of shell (or turquoise, lapis lazuli, and other stones). Each bead begins as a tiny flat piece of shell (or stone). A tiny stringing hole is drilled though the fragment. Many of these jagged pieces are strung together tightly on a wire and are then sanded into evenness using a fine-grained sandstone and then sandpaper. The result is a very smooth strand of disk-shaped beads. This is an ancient form of bead-making developed by the Pueblos of North America.
A Pueblo term literally meaning shell; discs or tubes with a hole in the center, usually of turquoise, coral, shell, or other materials, strung together to form a flexible strand, often of graduated size. The Santo Domingo Pueblo people are known for fine heishi
Jewelry, usually necklaces, that are constructed of discs that have a uniform size, creating a rope like consistency.
(hee-shee). The oldest form of jewelry in New Mexico, pre-dating the introduction of metals. The literal meaning of heishi is "shell" and specifically refers to pieces of shell which have been drilled and ground into bead s and then strung into necklaces. Centuries ago, the shells used by the Pueblo Indians to make bead s were obtained in trade from the Gulf of California. 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. 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. See Liquid silver and Olivelia Shells.