Joe Jr. and Valerie Calabaza

      Enjoy your jewelry from the finest artists that make turquoise heishi beads!  Handmade turquoise heishi is formed by hand on a wheel with a diamond dust and formed under water.  There are so few Santo Domingo jewelers who still hand drill each stone to create such beautiful pieces of jewelry. 

     Joe Jr. is the son of Joe and Mary Calabaza, and has learned the fine art of heishi making from his parents. He and his wife Valerie are carrying on a great Santo Domingo tradition, and have recently applied their acquired techniques to earrings in addition to necklaces.

      Joe and Mary (Joe Jr.’s parents) are truly one of a kind artists and specialize in super fine heishi necklackes.  They learned to make fine heishi from their grandfather, Patricio Calabaza. “He taught us how to take a simple piece of turquoise, mold it, and create a beautiful necklace. We started making our necklaces with a little heavier texture from turquoise, lapis, shells, coral, and other various stones. As years progressed, and over a long period of time and patience, we learned how to grind our stones to a finer quality. Each piece of necklace has its own special unique quality behind it.  We take a lot of pride and joy into our work.  This type of art work has been passed down for many generations as we continue to pass it down to our children and grandchildren.  It is important to us that we keep our art work alive, because not only does it bring us joy, but it is a part of who we are.”