The actual meaning of heishi is "shell" and specifically refers to tiny pieces of shell which have been drilled and sliced into tiny beads and then strung into necklaces

Heishi is the oldest form of jewelry in New Mexico, pre-dating the introduction of metals. Hundreds of years ago, the shells used by the Pueblo Indians to make beads were obtained in trade from the Gulf of California.

When you look at a strand of heishi, the initial reaction is usually "These things are so tiny, in sure you used machines to make them" or " How can you drill a hole into that tiny bead?!." The truth of the matter is our heishi beads are mostly done by highly skilled and patient craftsmen. Knowing the steps involved in the creation of a good string of heishi can help you distinguish between excellent hand-made jewelry and imitations

.
First, the raw materials are chosen. The most commonly used are seashells of all kinds - dark and light olive shells, spiny oysters, mother of pearl and melon shell.

Now the process begins. With vulnerable fingers on either side of a whirring blade, the raw material is sliced into strips. Next, small squares are made by biting off pieces of the slice with a hand tool such as a nipper. Using thumb foreshape to hold the tiny squares a, a small hole is drilled into the center of each square. After these rough squares of shell or stone are strung together on fine wire, the process of grinding, shaping and smoothing is begun.

The artist shapes the string of rough beads by moving the string again and again against a turning stone wheel, controlling the fineness and diameter of the beads with his hands. At this point, many beads (stone or shell) will be lost - they will chip or will crack and fly off as the grinder catches a flaw or burr. Each type of material must be ground separately. For example, pipestone and jet (high-grade anthracite coal) are soft and grind down much faster than the harder materials such as turquoise, shell or lapis. Also, some materials are more difficult to work with than others. With BABY OLIVE, for example, approximately 60-70% is lost. To minimize loss, each bead must be nipped into a rough circle before being ground.

By now a string of cylinders, often graduated in size, has been formed and is ready for sanding. The heishi is further shaped and smoothed with ever-finer grades of sandpaper. The string is then washed with clear water and put in the sun to air-dry. Finally, the string of heishi is given a high polish on a turning leather belt. The smooth, polished beads are now ready to be strung, either together or with other beads, as a piece of fine jewelry.

The Philippines has been making Heishi strands for almost half a century now.We both have the raw materials and the skill level to manufacturer these complicated yet beautiful strands the world knows as HEISHI.