Navajo Ghost Bead Necklaces made from Juniper Berries

We’re camping this summer while our house is being built. That puts us very much in touch with nature AND we are sleeping in new surroundings. I’ve been wearing my ghost beads and hanging them over our bed. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh……….

Are they Juniper or Cedar Berries?

Juniper berries have long been a Navajo medicine for treating such things as diabetes. Juniper berries (seeds) are also used to make ghost bead necklaces. Juniper is a broad category of trees, some of which have common names that include “cedar”, such as “red cedar” that is widely used to make boxes and line drawers. This can be confusing because a true cedar tree comes from a different family of trees. So you will see ghost beads referred to being made from cedar seeds, juniper seeds or juniper/cedar seeds. If you want to be technically correct, they should be called juniper seeds or berries.

Paula

Jacla, Jackla, Jocla………No matter how you spell it, what is it?

A traditional Pueblo jewelry adornment, a jacla is two loops of heishi that were originally earrings and sometimes fastened to the bottom of a stone necklace as a pendant-like attachment.

Jacla is Navajo for “ear string”. The Navajo spelling is the most commonly used version of the word. Jocla is also common but jackla is a phonetic mis-spelling. Although jaclas are attributed to the Rio Grande Pueblo Indians, they were traded with other tribes so have become associated with the Navajo as well. They are seen in vintage photos being worn by members of all southwest tribes, both men and women.

In the oldest style necklaces, the jacla is a pair of loop earrings tied onto the necklace.

The two loops would be removed from the necklace and used as earrings.   This is how the jacla originated. This necklace is likely from 1910-1920.

I can picture a pre-European-contact Rio Grande Puebloan taking his or her jewelry off and storing it that way. And sometimes when not wanting to wear earrings, just leaving the jacla on the necklace as a pendant.

The jacla might match the necklace it is attached to or be of contrasting heishi. Most jaclas have tabular pieces in the bottom center that are called “corn”. They are most often made from white or orange (spiny oyster) shell or coral. According to Mark Bahti, author of Collecting Southwestern Native American jewelery, jaclas with spiny oyster shell corn are rarely seen and highly prized by many Indians.

The tips of the jacla loops are traditionally finished off with coral, a contrasting shell or trade beads, often red.

In the early 20th century, jaclas started to be incorporated into part of the necklace, so this necklace would have likely been made after 1920, likely in the 50s.

Contemporary artists use the jacla design in many ways such as this block turquoise jacla necklace with spiny oyster corn.

And here’s one in very fine heishi from Santo Domingo artist Paul Tenorio

Loop earrings are basically a miniature version of a jacla – they are made with and without corn.

Paula

Looking for a SMALL squash blossom necklace

Hi Paula,

I am looking for a SMALL squash blossom necklace or choker, ideally WITHOUT the large naja central pendant. I am also interested in matching earrings.

Thanks, Lee

Hi Lee,

Here are a few ideas.

Here is one that is 18″ long and what I would call a miniature squash blossom necklace by Zuni artist Lorena Peina and it does have matching earrings.

And here is a New Old Stock (made in the 70s) Zuni sunface you might like, but this one is longer – 24 inches.

Both of these have the central naja. I rarely see a squash blossom necklace without one.

This lapis squash blossom necklace is medium in size and 19″ in length and also has matching earrings.

Paula

Black on the inside of a bracelet I bought in November

My name is Regina

I bought a cuff bracelet for Christmas it has turned black on the inside on one end, when we cleaned it with silver cleaner some of it came off but you can still see where it was, the black around the inlay on the front is coming off. My husband loves this bracelet and wears it all the time. He works in a office so it did not get damaged at work plus he is partial handicapped so he is not really active at home so we can not figure this out. It just occurred in the past few days. Please tell me I have something that can be done I paid 400.00 dollars for this bracelet. Regina

Hi Regina,

What you describe are normal signs of wear for a sterling silver bracelet that someone has used for over 7 months. (purchased Nov 2, 2012)

Black on the inside is natural tarnish of sterling silver caused by contact with air, skin oils, soap, lotions, and other elements. We suggest keeping the bracelet clean and using a polishing cloth on a regular basis rather than let the tarnish build up. We discourage the use of silver cleaner.

Here is the polishing cloth we recommend
http://www.horsekeeping.com/jewelry/cloth/cloth.htm

The black is not inlay, but an oxidization of the sterling silver for accent.  It might have been your use of silver cleaner that took off some of the black on the front.

Read all about sterling silver care and cleaning here under the category Materials…..scroll down to Silver.

Here for example is one article – there are a number of others. 
http://www.horsekeeping.com/jewelry/info/silver-care.htm

Best of luck,
Paula

Dear Paula,

Thank you very much for the information and your help !!
Respectfully yours
Regina

Foot Forward Carver

Hello Paula,

Unless this rings a bell, please don’t waste any of your time, but I have a fairly simple question.

 

Some 20 years ago we bought a turquoise bear fetish by the “foot forward” carver. Do you know that carver’s name?

 

The right front foot is slightly forward of the left foot.

 

Thank you for your time!

 

Richard

Sorry Richard, for me, no bells are ringing on a carver, but perhaps a reader of the blog knows and will add a comment.

Here is the walking bear design, sometimes called the 3-legged bear, used by Navajo silversmith Rosco Scott

Paula

What do you mean by bracelet circumference?

Hi Paula,
I’m looking at your Hopi cuff bracelets. What do you mean by circumference?  –measurement of bracelet end-to-end, or –measurement including the gap, as if it was a circle?
I need a cuff bracelet that’s 5″ end-to-end, or just a little bigger.
Thanks,
Carol

Hi Carol,

Circumference is the perimeter of a circle or the outside boundary of a circle.

When fitting a cuff bracelet, you are comparing two circles: your wrist and the bracelet.

The wrist circle is the measurement (in inches) taken with a flexible tape measure around the portion of your wrist where you want to wear the bracelet.

The bracelet circle is the total circumference. Total circumference refers to the total circular measurement: the end to end measurement (taken on the inside of the cuff bracelet) + the gap. That approximates the circumference of the wrist that the bracelet is to fit.

Most gaps are 1 – 1 1/4″ so to find a bracelet to fit you (you said you want one 5″ end to end) you would look at bracelets in the 6 to 6 1/4″ total circumference range as you likely have a 6 to 6 1/4″ wrist.

Paula

Roderick Tenorio not Roderick Torino

Hello Paula,

Hope you can answer a question for me. I was in Santa Fee (years ago) and during the open market I purchased a sterling silver cuff bracelet from I thought the artist Roderick Torino.

It is stamped sterling with RMT and a symbol like a loop with 2 lines across it.

Is this his jewelry? What is the difference between the half-moon R and the one I have?

Does this mean he didn’t make it?

Renee

Hi Renee,

First of all, it is Roderick Tenorio, a Kewa (Santo Domingo Pueblo) artist who shares the hallmark with his wife Marilyn.

The hallmark you show is their hallmark.

When a piece also has the half moon and the R, it is an additional mark to indicate it is from the shop “Relios” which is now Carolyn Pollack Sterling Silver jewelry.

That group of hallmarks were on the bracelet in our pawn shop which is probably how you found us and why you wrote us.

Paula