Necklace featuring old beads and Sterling silver turtles. A recent acquisition, The Hill Tribe's deceptively crude .925 sterling hand made turtles brought this piece together. The turtles served to remind us that indigenous people know the continents as Turtle Islands. The indigenous silver turtles carry this unique petit collection of stone, glass, crystal and silver, assembled from many continents, into the new millennium as a fashion element to be worn as attire for contemporary events, ceremony, or dancing.

The featured old pieces include:

  ● stone discs with fossilized mother of pearl and/or gemstone
  ● lava rock 10 mm round beads with Hill Tribe's hand formed .925 sterling silver end caps
  ● chunky China turquoise hand shaped nuggets
  ● handmade .925 sterling silver indigenous turtles

Pieces from the artist's contemporary bead stash contained the supporting elements for this unique necklace:

  ● 6 and 3 mm round sterling silver
  ● 6 mm faceted black glass with a deep red faux aurora borealis overlay
  ● 3 mm  ruby red Swovarski crystal rounds
  ● doeskin from the leather shop across from the Seattle Indian Health Board

"This is the newest work from a late night studio session during the January 2004 snow storms," said the artist, Lois Chichinoff Thadei.  "Major components were collected over a period of four decades by two Elders in our Northwest Urban Indian Community (myself and my friend, Rebecca), here in the South Puget Sound, Washington area." 

"My friend Rebecca's expertise lays in her precise, discriminating attention to minute details.  Over time, her uncanny eye assembles petit collections of, seemingly unrelated, earthy works made by bead artists from the four directions.  Frequently she collects nuggets that need to be turned into beads," Chichinoff said.

"A petit collection of old and special beads, brought together seemingly unrelated components.  I used several methods of sizing, shaping, polishing, expanding drill holes, or reducing them until finally, after 40 years in the making, this special, single strand of fossil, antique and contemporary elements from across many Turtle Islands emerged during a late-night studio session," she said. 

The Turtle Islands Necklace is strung on 41 strands of stainless steel wire.  It is 30 inches long with a 2 inch drop center drop.

Photo Gallery. By Lois Chichinoff Thadei. $220.00 (#1161)