A PERSONAL WORD:

To experience the work of this husband & wife's team effort, is to experience the meaning of what team work really is & the inspiration you get when you work well together, by feeding off of the others ideas, etc. Married for years, both Delbert & Torevia started out making jewelry like most Puebloan children do and that is by living in a home with family members who make traditional jewelry day & night.. With this couple, the work is dictated through communication, so while Torevia cuts,shapes,drills most all of the materials, it's Delbert who does all that beautiful finishing like beveling the stones, making the beads one by one by hand, taking off the rough edges, etc., so that each is given a professionally finished clean look..

Torevia & Delbert are known for putting a real artsy vibe to their jewelry, where they create these powerful looking designs that literally explode with color, which is why their jewelry stands apart from the rest in the village..Yes, you'll find them doing the super traditional styles that are known to Kewa jewelry, but more times than not, you'll find them creating these extremely eye catching artsy pieces that stand out so much, to where all you can say is "WOW" & there's not too much that I don't have them make, that I don't get overwhelmed by.. I'm simply in awh over the little 'touch's' that are always a plus to the overall look of the finished piece! I personally feel it's not only the way they work with their colorful materials, but more so, it's their "Eye" for knowing how & where to then lay each cut that makes their work wonderful pieces of wearable art! This VERY traditional Kewa Puebloan family live quietly & comfortably in the village, where they have their own farm & grow corn, raise cattle, sheep, pigs, peacocks, you name it!!!

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THE HAND MADE BEADS:

I want to 1st mention, that this necklace is NOT made with pre-bought, pre-cut, commercially made beads of Lapis that were purchased & then restrung, but rather each bead of Lapis is completely made BY hand, where one by one, Delbert started from the larger rock of Lapis & then worked the stone till the right shape & size were formed. Each bead is then hand drilled in order to string them! It's the decades long skill of knowing how to work with stones & shells that allow us to appreciate the beauty of Puebloan art.. It's they, who are the "True" lapidarian' s of Native jewelry where everything is still cut & shaped by hand. This was an art that was passed down through their Ancestral Puebloan ancestors who once lived in the Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde areas of the states. And yes, it's a VERY time consuming process, but the finished results are SO rewarding! (Artists time is dictated in price) All the beads are in the 10.5 mm size range(roughly a 1/3 to just under 1/2")

What I personally LOVE, is not only the undeniable traditional look it has, but for it's super classy "upscale" appeal that allows this to be worn with any southwestern attire to urban designer! I also cannot fail to mention the fact of how comfortable it is on the neckline!!! To me,the latter is a sign of a well made necklace.

It is made in a shorter "Cleopatra" style that lays beautifully right at the bottom of the neck where statement pieces are most noticed. There are 5 strands that when laid closely together measure at a 2" width. Because these beads are so precisely sized,they comfortably sit close together, where the beads can 'breathe' without over lapping.

The mosaic inlaid centerpiece is traditionally made with various stones & shells known to Kewa jewelry & is in a trapezoidal shape where it gets wider at the bottom. If you need a tad more length,there is a 3" long heavy gauge extender chain to adjust.You can put the hook anywhere within the chain.

This would work well with any other Lapis pieces you may have & or other Pueblo pieces. You can wear this in the day,but is elegant enough for an evening out!

She also made this style for me in Serpentine, Onyx & bright Orange Spiny Oyster shell!!(See last 3 photos!!)