Raw Nugget Turquoise and Silver Squash Blossom Necklace [SOLD]

This squash blossom necklace is both classic and inventive, including turquoise in a unique form.  This necklace is unsigned, and we believe it to be made by a Diné artist.  Very refined silver beads have been created that are both petite and uniform in size throughout the necklace.  Reaching down from a silver clasp, the single strand becomes double just above the squash blossoms allowing them to lie flat as it is worn.  

The most exciting element of this necklace is the raw, nugget pieces of turquoise selected by the artist.  Each piece is sky blue turquoise with a raw, unfinished dark gray matrix.  Every piece is a different shape and while this necklace overall is exquisitely crafted, the elemental nature of the turquoise creates a balanced, inviting feel.  

These fantastic pieces of turquoise are the center of the blossoms and are set rising out of silver bezels. Directly around the bezel is a twisted piece of silver appliqué. Encircling these elements, a stamped border is capped at one side by two silver balls. Ten blossoms decorate the strands, divided into five on each side. Reaching out from the turquoise are the blossoms themselves—each with three petals of silver.  The naja pendant consists of seven central bezel-based portions of the beautiful turquoise blossoms. These pieces are soldered to a silver crescent, becoming a moon-shaped naja of raw turquoise. It is very lightweight and weighs only 6.8 ounces.

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 excellent condition

Provenance: This Raw Nugget Turquoise and Silver Squash Blossom Necklace is from an estate in eastern Washington. 

Recommended Reading: Navajo Jewelry: A Legacy of Silver and Stone by Lois Jacka

TAGS: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Navajo, Necklace