NECKLACES — Zeta Leonis Handmade

This is Santos — a shell cutter I met during my travels through Ecuador.

He’s been working with shell since childhood, honing a steady hand and an instinct for the material’s possibilities. Santos’s passion lies in more ambitious, intricate pieces: large decorative ships, ornate crosses, and other carved artifacts that showcase scale and craftsmanship. His wife Gladys encourages him toward jewelry — smaller, wearable expressions of the same skill — and together they balance the workshop between statement carvings and refined adornments.

I found them through my aunt, who supports their work in many ways. Santos’s primary materials are shell varieties: luminous mother of pearl, vivid spondylus (spiny oyster), and polished cow horn. Each material brings different colors, textures, and challenges, and Santos knows how to coax out the best in each — from iridescent inlays to warm, sculpted horn elements.

Their practice feels rooted in tradition but open to evolving forms. Santos’s large pieces demonstrate patience and vision; Gladys’s influence nudges that vision toward pieces that can be worn and loved daily.