Jacla Pebble Necklace

 A traditional Pueblo jewelry adornment, a jacla is two loops of heishi that were originally earrings and sometimes fastened to the bottom of a stone necklace as a pendant-like attachment. Jacla is Navajo for “ear string”.  Although jaclas are attributed to the Rio Grande Pueblo Indians, they were traded with other tribes so have become associated with the Navajo as well. In the oldest style necklaces, the jacla is a pair of loop earrings tied onto the necklace. The two loops would be removed from the necklace and used as earrings. This is how the jacla originated. I can just picture a pre-European-contact Rio Grande Puebloan taking his or her jewelry off and storing it that way. And sometimes when I not wanting to wear earrings, just leaving the jacla on the necklace as a pendant. The jacla might match the necklace it is attached to or be of contrasting heishi. Most jaclas have tabular pieces in the bottom center that are called “corn”. They are most often made from white or orange (spiny oyster) shell or coral. According to Mark Bahti, author of Collecting Southwestern Native American jewelry, jaclas with spiny oyster shell corn are rarely seen and highly prized by many Indians.

Shown here is out Sonoran three strand. Please contact us for available stock 

Sold in three strand or two strand, all made custom, so please contact us.