Important Artist Bio: Juanita Atencio

Juanita Atencio is a Santo Domingo living at the Santo Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico. She is known for her hand rolled beads and fine bead work. Santo Domingo's are know for their beadwork and mosaic. The most popular type of jewelry is the necklace and the heishi necklaces made from shell.

Beads can be large and chunky or so think that hundreds must be stacked to create one necklace. Santo Domingo jewelers make beads in many shapes and sizes, round, tubular, oblong and square to name a few. Whether working with shell or rough stone, the artist must slice off the pieces needed with a saw. These are then clipped with a hand cutter into smaller pieces and then holes are drilled into the pieces. The drilled pieces are strung on fine music wire known for its strength. Thicker stones can be drilled from both sides to reach the middle, but thinner slabs can be drilled straight through. If making beads, once strung, the beads are shaped by rolling them against a sandstone slab which breaks off the edges and eventually rounds them off. Much labor and attention to detail is needed to complete one necklace.

Beaded Necklaces (Click on an item to view a full size image and alternative images when available)

Multi Five Strand Heishi Necklace With Sterling Silver Code: AB36 Price: $450.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Turquoise, Lapis, And Spiny Oyster Artist: Joe V Triolia Quantity in Basket: none

Five Strand Spiny Oyster Heishi Necklace Code: AB35 Price: $450.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Sivler Stone: Spiny Oyster Artist: Joe V Triolia Quantity in Basket: none

Kingman Turquoise Heishi Necklace With Sterling Silver Code: AB34 Price: $450.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Kingman Turquoise Artist: Joe V Triolia Quantity in Basket: none

Green Turquoise Heishi Necklace With Sterling Silver Code: AB33 Price: $450.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Kingman Turquoise Artist: Joe V. Triolia Quantity in Basket: none

Zuni Needlepoint Necklace Set In Sterling Silver Code: AB32 Price: $720.00 Style: Zuni Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Turquoise Artist: MNU Quantity in Basket: none

Baroque Coral Beaded Necklace Set In Sterling Silver Code: AB31 Price: $240.00 Style: Zuni Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Baroque Coral Artist: R. B. Quantity in Basket: none

Turquoise And Sterling Silver Beaded Cross Necklace Code: AB30 Price: $396.00 Style: Zuni Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Turquoise Artist: R. B. Quantity in Basket: none

Turquoise Necklace Set In Sterling Silver Code: AB29 Price: $484.00 Style: Navajo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Turquoise Artist: Wallace Jr. Quantity in Basket: none

Multi Stoned Necklace Set In Sterling Silver Code: AB28 Price: $484.00 Style: Zuni Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Coral, Spiney oyster, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Gaspeite And Charoite Artist: R. B. Quantity in Basket: none

Baltic Amber Necklace Code: AB27 Price: $270.00 Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Baltic Amber Quantity in Basket: none

Turquoise And Sterling Silver Necklace Code: AB26 Price: $349.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Kingman Turquoise Artist: Juanita Antencio Quantity in Basket: none

Melon Shell Necklace With Sterling Silver Code: AB25 Price: $110.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Melon Shell Artist: Juanita Antencio Quantity in Basket: none

Rainbow Calsilica Fetish Necklace Code: AB23 Price: $249.00 Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Rainbow Calsilica Quantity in Basket: none

Multi Stone Heishi Beaded Necklace Code: AB22 Price: $249.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Kingman Turquoise, Jet And Melon Shell Artist: Juanita Antencio Quantity in Basket: none

White Alabaster Buffalo Fetish Necklace Code: AB20 Price: $198.00 Material: Sterling Silver Stone: White Alabaster Quantity in Basket: none

Kingman Turquoise And Melon Shell Necklace Code: AB18 Price: $180.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Kingman Turquoise And Melon Shell Artist: Juanita Antencio Quantity in Basket: none

Kingman Turquoise With Red Spiny Oyster Necklace Code: AB17 Price: $400.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Kingman Turquoise And Red Spiny Oyster Artist: Juanita Antencio Quantity in Basket: none

Lapis Lazuli With 14 Karat Gold Necklace Code: GJB10 Price: $549.00 Style: Navajo Material: 14 Karat Gold Stone: Lapis Lazuli Artist: Ed Agular Quantity in Basket: none

Turquoise Nuggets, Baroque Coral And Fresh Water Pearls Necklace Code: NC2 Price: $285.00 Style: Santa Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Turquoise Nuggets, Broque Coral, Fresh Water Pearls Artist: Juanita Antencio Quantity in Basket: none

Turquoise and Heishi Beaded Necklace Code: AA4 Price: $198.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Turquoise And Heishi Artist: Juanita Atencio Quantity in Basket: none

Santo Domingo Turquoise Necklace Code: AB15 Price: $287.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Cones Stone: Kingman Turquoise Artist: Juanita Antencio Quantity in Basket: none

Round Beads Of Green Kingman Turquoise Necklace With Sterling Silver Code: AB8 Price: $625.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Kingman Turquoise Artist: Juanita Antencio Quantity in Basket: none

Apple Coral Heishi Necklace With Sterling Silver Code: AB7 Price: $270.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Apple Coral Artist: Juanita Antencio Quantity in Basket: none

Amber Beaded Necklaces Code: NA1 Price: $66.00 Style: Contemporary Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Amber Quantity in Basket: none

Turquoise Inlay Necklace Set In Sterling Silver Code: SWA91 Price: $495.00 Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Turquoise Artist: Unknown Quantity in Basket: none

Multi Stone Necklace Set In Sterling Silver Code: SWA90 Price: $495.00 Material: Sterling Silver Stone: "Sugilite, Cultured Opal, Turquoise, Coral, Varacite And Lapis" Artist: Unknown Quantity in Basket: none

Rainbow Calsilicia Fetish Necklace Code: N141 Price: $249.00 Style: Zuni Material: Sterling Silver Cones Stone: Rainbow Calsilicia Artist: Unknown Quantity in Basket: none

Amber Necklace Code: N131 Price: $75.00 Style: Contemporary Stone: Amber Artist: Unknown Quantity in Basket: none

Turquoise and Heishi Beaded Necklace Code: N122 Price: $495.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Turquoise and Shell Heishi Artist: Juanita Atencio Quantity in Basket: none

Kingman Chip Turquoise Necklace With Sterling Silver Cones Code: N117 Price: $500.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Cones Stone: Kingman Turquoise Artist: Juanita Atencio Quantity in Basket: none

Multi Colored Amber Beads and Nugget Necklace Code: N76 Price: $336.00 Style: Contemporary Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Amber Artist: Unknown Quantity in Basket: none

Animal Fetish Necklace Code: N67 Price: $1,375.00 Style: Zuni Material: Sterling Silver Stone: "Turquoise, spiny oyster, onyx, fossilized walrus ivory, gold lipped shell" Artist: Androus Quandelacy Quantity in Basket: none

Turquoise Slab and Silver Bead Necklace Code: N63 Price: $281.00 Style: Santo Domingo Pueblo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Kingman Turquoise Artist: Juanita Atencio Quantity in Basket: none

Spiny Oyster Necklace Set In Sterling Silver Code: N20 Price: $1,399.00 Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Spiny Oyster Quantity in Basket: none

Turquoise Nugget and Spiny Oyster Double Strand Necklace and Earrings Code: A356 Price: $528.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Kingman Turquoise and Spiny Oyster Artist: Juanita Atencio Quantity in Basket: none

Kingman Turquoise Barrel Beads and Slab Turquoise Necklace Code: N14 Price: $908.00 Style: Santo Domingo Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Kingman Turquoise Artist: Juanita Atencio Quantity in Basket: none

Turquoise Buffalo Fetish Necklace Code: N3 Price: $152.00 Style: Zuni Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Turquoise Artist: Unknown Quantity in Basket: none

Amber Stone Necklace Code: A322 Price: $875.00 Style: Contemporary Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Amber Quantity in Basket: none

Animal Fetish Necklace Set in Sterling Silver Code: A311 Price: $1,646.00 Style: Traditional Zuni Fetish Material: Sterling Silver Cones Stone: "Gold lip shell, spiny oyster, coral, jet, malachite, and mother of pearl" Artist: Dinah Gasper Quantity in Basket: none

Fifteen Ivory Mountain Lion Fetish Necklace Set in Sterling Silver Code: A300 Price: $1,634.00 Style: Zuni Fetish Material: Sterling Silver Stone: Fossilized Ivory Artist: Andres Quandelacy Quantity in Basket: none