Squash Blossom Necklace with Hanging Turquoise Gemstone Naja [SOLD]

This squash blossom necklace was made with a single string of handmade silver beads.  Blossoms were fashioned out of beads identical to the others but including the three petals of a blooming flower.  Each of the blossoms has a thin, punctured piece of silver soldered to its base so that it may be strung in between the beads of the main strand. After being added to the rest, the blossoms have the effect of doubling the strand of beads.  

A very crisp naja was fashioned from sterling silver.  Three ridged elements drawn together at the crown resemble a fan and add texture and light refraction. Below this element a piece of turquoise hangs by its bezel.  The arms of the naja mirror one another and reach out and downward like a crescent, ridged and stamped with linked repeating half circles.  The tips of the naja are circular and have been used as a base to attach two more pieces of turquoise, all three similar in their bright, saturated blues. 

Each silver bead (Navajo pearl) and naja were hand formed from sheet silver, and the naja was hand cast.

What is a Naja? Early Navajo-made jewelry contained elements that were borrowed directly from Spanish colonial and Mexican ornament. One of these items is the naja, a crescent form of Moorish origin. The Spanish conquerors in the Southwest outfitted their horses in elaborate silver ornaments-one of which was the naja that hung directly on the forehead of the horse as a part of the bridle. Today, it is still seen in both Pueblo and Navajo modern jewelry.

Condition: This squash blossom necklace is in very good condition

Provenance: This Squash Blossom Necklace with Hanging Turquoise Gemstone Naja is from an estate in eastern Washington. 

Recommended Reading: NAVAJO SILVER A Brief History of Navajo Silversmithing by Arthur Woodward

TAGS: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Navajo, necklace