Navajo Ten Strand Coral Necklace with Silver Cones [SOLD]

This magnificent ten-strand necklace is a beautiful mixture of petit cylindrical polished coral interspersed with very small turquoise nuggets and small handmade silver beads. It is capped with silver cones at the ends and secured with a silver clasp.

Although this necklace is unsigned, due to its coral, turquoise, and silver elements, we believe it to have been made by a Diné artisan of the Navajo Nation. It is clear, however, that the artist crafted it with care and vision as the result is something outstanding and sophisticated.

Due to its strong saturation of color, red coral is highly prized by the tribes of the Southwest. Prior to the arrival of early Europeans to the Americas, native people used argillite to accent their jewelry with red, which was very dull compared to that of Blood Coral. Because of the high cost of red coral, it has also become associated with wealth.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Navajo Ten Strand Coral Necklace with Silver Cones is from the collection of a client of the gallery

Recommended Reading: North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment: From Prehistory to the Present by Margaret Dubin

TAGS: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Navajo, necklace