1940s Diné Silver and Turquoise Squash Blossom Necklace [SOLD]
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- Category: Necklaces
- Origin: Diné of the Navajo Nation
- Medium: silver, turquoise
- Size:
23” end to end;
2-½” x 2-½” naja - Item # 26148 SOLD
The criteria for calling a vintage Diné necklace spectacular depends on the attention to detail and skill demonstrated by the maker. This necklace is indeed one of the most spectacular we have offered in a long time. Made in the 1930s or 1940s before the era of mass production of Southwestern jewelry, this necklace was crafted with extreme care and expertise. Every bead was soldered with precision. The blossoms were proportionally formed to produce a pleasing aesthetic.
The naja has two gracefully curved silver bars connected at the ends with silver caps that evoke fringe falling from a lightning-like band at the top. The portion of the naja that connects to the necklace has a cylinder with lightning-like design below which is a pair of silver blossoms. Suspended from the naja is a single beautiful blue domed turquoise cabochon.
An age-old symbol of protection derived from the Moors, the Diné have used the crescent-shaped naja motif in jewelry for more than a hundred years, innovating the design in creative new ways to make it uniquely their own. The Diné were exposed to the naja from the bridle worn on the head of the horse of the Spanish. They adapted it for use on this necklace.
Condition: this 1940s Diné Silver and Turquoise Squash Blossom Necklace is in excellent condition. It is secure and ready to wear.
Provenance: from an elderly gentleman from Isleta Pueblo whose late wife’s property it was.
Recommended Reading: Indian Silver Jewelry of the Southwest: 1868-1930 by Larry Frank et.al.
- Category: Necklaces
- Origin: Diné of the Navajo Nation
- Medium: silver, turquoise
- Size:
23” end to end;
2-½” x 2-½” naja - Item # 26148 SOLD
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