Photograph by Addison Doty. Copyright 2015 School for Advanced Research.
Necklace
Date: before 1945
Artist or Maker: Unknown
Dimensions:
55.9 cm (22 in.)
Medium: jet | beads, glass
Credit Line: Indian Arts Fund purchase for the permanent collection, for inclusion in the Mary Austin Memorial Collection, 1945.
Place Made:
Valencia County, New Mexico, Southwest, United States, North America
Object Number: IAF.S553
Not on view
Tribal Collection Review RemarksAccording to the participants in the Acoma collection review visit June 3-5, 2015 (Events Record “Collection Review: Acoma Pueblo, Review 2”): IAF.S552, IAF.S553, IAF.S554, IAF.S802, SAR.1999-9-370 were all reviewed together. Pearl Valdo's father used to make jewelry with jet. He would often combine it with abalone shell or deer antlers. Jet was sometimes sold to Zuni jewelers. The jet is soft enough to be hand filed and hand drilled. Once the desired shape is achieved it is hand polished to make it shine.
Acoma was known as the only local source for jet. The mine is now extinct with only very small traces left. A Navajo man named Gus Keene married into Acoma around this time and was teaching adult education classes for jewelry making. Najas may be an influence from him. There were several men at Acoma who were making jet jewelry. Some jewelry also included abalone shell inlay. Jet jewelry from Acoma is no longer being produced.
In Collection(s)
The Indian Arts Research Center, in collaboration with Native American community scholars, strives to present accurate collections records. Records may be updated as new information becomes available and is reviewed with the Native American community having cultural affinity to particular items. Please write to iarc@sarsf.org if you have questions or concerns related to the documentation.