Christopher Nieto is a relatively young artist from Santo Domingo Pueblo who has excelled beyond his years in terms of the exacting precision of his traditional necklaces, both in terms of design and execution of the component parts of his pieces. All of his beads are handmade, whether he is working with turquoise, jet, mother of pearl, red coral or spiny oyster. His mosaic inlay is also of the highest calibre of craftsmanship. His work is increasingly sought after and in May 2006 he won first prize for his necklace entry at the Indian Arts and Crafts Association (IACA) Show in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Chris is a master at making any sort of bead by hand. He attributes much of his skill to diamonds; diamond saw blades, diamond-tipped drills and diamond infused grinding pads. These are large, handmade beads of apple coral and jet mixed with smaller heishi of apple coral used as spacer beads. While these beads seem very contemporary, they also remind me of the beads my grandmother used to wear. This was a popular size bead and length in the U.S. among a certain set when I was growing up in the sixties. That "certain set" was my grandmother's age and were still carrying their fashion sense from the twenties and thirties. This is Art Deco-influenced design, whether made at Santo Domingo Pueblo, or in Vienna in 1927. The color combination is stunning. They work because they are well-made and pretty, but they "kill" because they are modern and retro at the same time. The necklace terminates in Sterling cones at the catch.

A photo of Christopher (wearing one of his necklaces) can be seen in our Artists section under the letter "N".

Apple Coral Beads: globes 9/16" running length & 3/4" diameter; barrels 13/16" running length & 9/16" diameter

Jet Beads: 7/16" running length & 11/16" diameter

Length: 18 1/4"