Description:

Pre-Columbian, South Coast Peru, Nazca culture, ca. 200 BCE to 600 CE. A beautiful pair of necklaces composed of ancient Nazca stone and shell beads, each carefully shaped into petite disks and tubular forms of varying tones, ranging from warm cream and beige to vivid ochre, russet, and deep sienna. The beads are strung on modern threads to allow for wear, preserving their historical integrity while transforming them into elegant, contemporary adornments. Nazca artisans were renowned for their mastery of color and form, whether in ceramics, textiles, or personal ornaments such as these. Shells and stones were chosen for their symbolic and aesthetic qualities, believed to embody fertility, abundance, and connection to the sea - the sacred source of life. These necklaces may once have served as offerings or status markers, worn by individuals of rank or deposited as funerary gifts. Size of largest bead (pendant on gray necklace): 0.6" L x 0.4" W (1.5 cm x 1 cm); of strand (both about the same): 15" L (38.1 cm)

The combination of natural polish and earthy tonality evokes the delicate artistry of Nazca craftsmanship, where every element - material, color, and rhythm - was harmoniously balanced.

Provenance: ex-Robert Morris Fine Art, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA; ex-Arte Textile, San Francisco, California, USA

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

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#196736

  • Condition: Ancient beads strung on modern strands to be wearable. Some expected age wear to beads, but, otherwise, very nice condition.

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December 5, 2025 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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