The first "Indian" jewelry was made from shell and stone beads strung on a type of cordage; examples of beads made from turquoise and shell have been excavated from ruins in Chaco Canyon. To this day, shell and turquoise bead and tab necklaces are an important part of any collection of Southwest Indian jewelry and are considered the most "Indian" of all Indian jewelry. There are still a few artists who hand-roll their shell and stone beads, and pieces by practitioners of this art such as Cheryl Yestewa, Piki Wadsworth, Ray Lovato and the Reanos are avidly collected by the cognoscenti.
In terms of telling the difference between older shell and turquoise necklaces and newer ones, it can be a difficult task. The cordage used can be helpful, but often necklaces break and the original cordage is replaced by something more modern (and stronger). The type of turquoise used can sometimes be an indicator of age, but often the turquoise is a plain green or blue, without any defining matrix to determine what mine it is from or even how old it might be. What is left? One major factor remaining is the method of drilling the holes in the beads, which can be very diagnostic indeed.
Shown above are two shell and turquoise necklaces. The one on the left dates to 1940-1960, while the one on the right is considerably older, likely 1900-1920. The reason we can say that is that the beads and tabs of the left necklace were drilled with an electric drill, while the beads and tabs of the right necklace show all the signs of being drilled with a pump drill.
Before the Pueblos were electrified sometime in the period between 1945 and 1960, the only method beadmakers had to drill holes into their beads was the pump drill. One is shown above without the sharpened bit that would be attached to the bottom. The stick in the middle is pushed up and down and slides along the shaft, creating a back-and-forth spin of the sharpened bit that (eventually) creates a drilled hole. It is tedious work, because the bit does not rotate quickly enough to do much drilling work on every pump, but as they say, it beats the alternative.
If you look at the piece of turquoise above, which is from the right-hand necklace, so can see the results of a pump drill at work. The hole produced is conical, and normally quite a bit larger at the top than the bottom. Also, since a pump driller would drill on one side until it pierced the other and then turn over the bead to be drilled from the other side, the overall profile of the hole is that of an hourglass, with one side deeper than the other. Contrast that with the hole in the piece of turquoise below:
This turquoise is from the newer necklace, and you can see the hole is quite a bit smaller and more regular. It was drilled electrically, with something similar to a dental drill. The high speed of the electric drill creates a cylindrical hole with a nearly even profile and enables the beadmaker to make many more beads with far less breakage and effort.
Whether pump-drilled or electrically drilled, making beads is an art form to be admired. But pump-drilled pieces are old and quite rare, and command far higher prices than their equally beautiful electrically drilled cousins.
For information on either of the necklaces pictures here, or with any questions, feel free to email us or give us a call at (480) 423-8777.
Happy New Year!
