San Felipe Pueblo is situated just a bit south of Santo Domingo Pueblo, about 40 minutes south of Santa Fe along the road to Albuquerque. Here you will find the tall and handsome Valentino Candelaria and his wife Connie; both in their 70's, quick with a smile and kind word, and at the top of their class where artistry is concerned... Valentino has been making these necklaces for years, and his dedication to the use of top-quality stones and timeless techniques is simply unmatched.

This is a triple-strand natural turquoise nugget necklace with white clamshell heishi interspersed; a style that has been worn since time immemorial... it is tied rather than set with silver clasps, thus the length may easily be adjusted to suit personal taste. As tied currently it measures 18.5" long from the knot to the pink spiny oyster shell tips of the Jaclas, but it is easily retied to make it shorter... about 16.5". The pair of Jaclas are tied onto the necklace as is tradition, and may be removed… they are sometimes worn as bracelets or even earrings!

I hope you can make it to New Mexico one day and pick out one of these necklaces for yourself directly from the artist, until then, I've got you covered! This necklace embodies all of the magic and spirit of the Land of Enchantment... a lovely way to carry the color of our blue skies along with you wherever you may be!