Northern Plains Pair of Shell Earrings, 19th Century

Plains: possibly Arapaho, Cheyenne, Lakota Sioux

1880 - 1900 | Dentalium shell, Commercial Hide, Glass Beads, Cotton string, Shell | Item 2545

Is Christmas right around the corner?! These Northern Plains set of earrings have all the dentalium shell painted with a green mineral paint. At the bottom are two red with white heart glass beads, all making for a Christmassy look. The dentalium are spaced apart with small, cut pieces of commercial hide. The small shells hanging at the bottom show good age. The cotton string is used to tie the pieces to the ear. These are very attractive whether on a stand or put onto the ears.

Price
$1,150
Dimensions 5" overall, 3 1/4" without the string
Condition Very good. One of the dentalium is broken at the bottom, but all parts are there
Provenance Private collection in Northern New Mexico
Pair of Northern Plains earrings, shells hanging with dentalium, large red with white heart glass beads, commercial hide, circa 1880
This shows the one dentalium that has a broken base