Two of our most loved designs finally met. The Selu Statement Necklace brings together the engraved copper Selu Corn medallion and the multi-colored freshwater pearls of our Three Sisters Pearl Necklace, in one double-strand piece that tells a single story: how Cherokee families have been fed, and who carried that knowledge forward.
The medallion artwork was hand-illustrated by award-winning Cherokee artist Moriah Stice to honor Selu (ᏎᎷ), the Corn Mother of Cherokee tradition. The pearls are strung by hand in our family studio in Oklahoma, and because every strand is arranged as it's made, no two of these necklaces are alike. The one you receive is yours alone.
In Cherokee tradition, Selu is the Corn Mother. Her story, shared for generations and recorded in the late 1800s by ethnographer James Mooney, tells how corn first came to the Cherokee people through her. The Green Corn Ceremony still marks the new harvest each year.
Corn never grew alone, though. Cherokee families planted corn, beans, and squash together, a method known as the Three Sisters. The corn gives the beans a stalk to climb, the beans feed the soil, and the squash shades the ground. Each one helps the others thrive.
This necklace puts those two stories side by side. Moriah's medallion honors Selu, and the pearls in garden colors recall the Three Sisters. Shell and pearl are also among the oldest materials used in Cherokee adornment, so the materials carry history of their own.
Is every Selu Statement Necklace the same?
No. The copper medallion design is the same, but the pearls are arranged by hand, so the colors and their order are different on every necklace.
Who was Selu?
Selu is the Corn Mother in Cherokee tradition, the figure through whom corn came to the Cherokee people.
What are the Three Sisters?
Corn, beans, and squash, planted together in a traditional method used by Cherokee families for centuries.
Is this jewelry made by Cherokee artists?
Yes. The design is by Cherokee artist Moriah Stice, and every piece is made in our family-owned Cherokee Copper studio in Oklahoma.
Thank you for supporting Cherokee artists and our family studio. Learn more about our work at cherokeecopper.com.