Material: Sterling Silver, Turquoise, Apple Coral, Jet, Lapis
Dimensions (inches): 25 inches long
Weight (in grams): 68.6
Hallmark/Signature: Sterling, Ellouise Originals
Description: Ellouise Toya, the designer and artist of Sunrise Jewelers was born and raised in the Santo Domingo Pueblo of New Mexico. Ellouise's parents, Don and Nancy Crespin, taught their five children the painstaking process of making heishi as was passed down through the generations to them. For centuries, Santo Domingo Pueblo Indians have been known to be the most proficient in the heishi making process, the oldest form of jewelry in New Mexico.
Heishi (hee-shee) is a term referring to hand-made beads, usually as necklaces, created from any natural materials such as turquoise, coral, abalone, serpentine, lapis, black jet, etc. Traders would bring such raw materials to the Santo Domingo Pueblo from California, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, and surrounding New Mexico mines.
Depending on the raw material used, it can take from two days to two weeks to hand-produce one single string of heishi beads.
As a member of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), Ellouise has to uphold specific standards for the quality and production of her pieces. Ellouise is honored to be continuing in her family and Pueblo heritage. As she strings her necklaces, her children are by her side learning from the family traditions and stories. She is inspired by her clientele. Their life stories or suggestions have interwoven themselves into her designs and style.
