Dentalium – Medicine Wheel 2 Tear Disk Long Song Earrings

Description

Dentalium Medicine Wheel 2 Tear Disk Long Song Earrings are an extraordinary and deeply meaningful expression of cultural heritage and artisan mastery. Measuring 1.5 × 10 inches, dentalium shells are carefully assembled with mother of pearl disks, silver beads, glass beads, silver cone beads, and lustrous pearl beads on a leather base, handwoven with Nymo thread and finished with surgical steel components in a rich, ceremonially significant palette of white, red, black, light yellow, silver, brown, clear crystal, and the natural iridescence of mother of pearl. The dual cascading tear drop tiers create a sweeping, dramatic silhouette of extraordinary presence and fluid movement, each tier flowing naturally into the next with graceful, unhurried ceremonial elegance. The mother of pearl disks catch and scatter light at every turn, their shifting iridescence weaving a luminous, ever-changing brilliance throughout the full length of the design, while the clear crystal elements amplify this radiance with jewel-like depth and clarity.

The palette of this design carries profound sacred meaning rooted in the Medicine Wheel — one of the most fundamental and widely revered symbols in Native American spiritual tradition. The Medicine Wheel represents the sacred circle of life and the interconnectedness of all living things, with each of its four colors holding specific spiritual significance. White speaks to the North — wisdom, purity, and the clarity of mind that comes with age and experience. Red honors the East — the direction of new beginnings, sunrise, and the birth of life and ideas. Black represents the West — introspection, the unknown, and the sacred journey inward. Yellow celebrates the South — growth, warmth, trust, and the vitality of youth and the natural world.

In Native American traditions, dentalium — or tusk shells — are small tubular mollusk shells historically harvested from the Pacific Northwest, particularly around Vancouver Island. Highly prized for their rarity and natural beauty, dentalium shells were used by Indigenous peoples across America as a valued form of currency, trade, and regalia. Carefully harvested and widely traded among nations, they were used to adorn dresses, necklaces, earrings, and ceremonial accessories, symbolizing wealth, status, and cultural distinction. To wear dentalium is to carry the legacy of generations of Indigenous artistry, trade, and cultural pride.

The mother of pearl disks bring their own layered natural symbolism — representing the ocean’s protective energy, harmony, and the nurturing power of the sacred feminine. Their soft, shifting iridescence blends with the sacred Medicine Wheel palette to create a design of remarkable spiritual depth and visual splendor. The dual tear tiers speak to abundance and the continuous, sacred flow of life — two streams of ceremonial energy moving together in graceful, unbroken continuity. The warm brown leather grounds the piece in organic tradition, connecting the finished design to the earth and waters from which all its materials were lovingly gathered.

Dentalium Medicine Wheel 2 Tear Disk Long Song Earrings honor this rich legacy through sweeping, ceremonial design and profound detail — a wearable tribute to heritage, sacred wisdom, and the enduring cultural significance of one of nature’s most treasured shells.

Details

• Colors: White, red, black, light yellow, silver, brown, clear crystal, mother of pearl
• Materials: Dentalium shells, mother of pearl disks, silver beads, glass beads, silver cone beads, pearl beads, leather, Nymo thread, surgical steel
• Size: 1.5 × 10 inches

Care Instructions: Wipe with damp cloth and keep dry. Dentalium is a delicate shell and can break or crack if you are rough with it. Even though the Nymo thread is nylon based and is very strong, pulling hard and yanking on the earrings can tear the thread. Please be kind to these earrings when you wear them.