Diné Squash Blossom Necklace made from U.S. Silver Coins [SOLD]

C4353H-necklace.jpg

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Jeweler Once Known
  • Category: Necklaces
  • Origin: Diné of the Navajo Nation
  • Medium: silver, U.S. coins, mother of pearl
  • Size: 24” long; Naja 3” x 2-¾”
  • Item # 26240
  • SOLD

A single mother of pearl fetish is strung at the end of the necklace.

The beads of this Navajo necklace were fashioned from vintage United States silver dimes from the early twentieth century.  Each dime was hammered into a hemisphere and two dimes then soldered together, drilled to be strung on leather. Interspersed between the beads on the lower end are eight handmade squash blossoms, also fashioned from vintage dimes including the flat piece that is drilled and strung on the necklace.  Pendant on the necklace is a cast silver naja with a stamped sun symbol at the tips. A single mother of pearl fetish is strung at the end of the necklace.

Jewelry manufactured in the very late 1960s and early 1970s by Diné silversmiths frequently used United States coins for adornment.  It was a popular but short lived fad. A necklace such as this is quite heavy to wear for long periods. They have become collectible for display and for historical purposes.


Condition: this Diné Squash Blossom Necklace made from U.S. Silver Coins is in original condition

Provenance: from the collection of a client from Santa Fe

Recommended Reading: Navajo Silver: a Brief History of Navajo Silversmithing by Arthur Woodward

Relative Links: Southwest Indian JewelryNavajo, necklace

Jeweler Once Known
  • Category: Necklaces
  • Origin: Diné of the Navajo Nation
  • Medium: silver, U.S. coins, mother of pearl
  • Size: 24” long; Naja 3” x 2-¾”
  • Item # 26240
  • SOLD

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