Navajo Petit Silver, Coral and Turquoise Squash Blossom Necklace [SOLD]

This squash blossom necklace is of a smaller size than most, a size called dainty or petit.  It appears to have been made in the 1960s by a Navajo artisan named HALEY who was a silversmith working for Atkinson Trading Company of Gallup, New Mexico.  Trading posts such as this would provide all the materials to smiths and then pay them for the labor costs.

It is a beautifully constructed Southwest Indian Jewelry necklace.  Each of the squash blossom attachments is adorned with a silver leaf as is the coral drop on the naja.  The naja is topped with twisted wire.  Four of the blossoms have turquoise and four have coral. 

The naja suspended as a pendant on the necklace was an item lifted from visitors to the Southwest—Spaniards who rode their magnificent horses with elaborate harness hardware which included a naja draped over the forehead of the horse.  The naja originally came from the Moors.  So, the necklace is a combination of favored items from the vaquero and their horses.

Condition: very good condition

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

Provenance: from a resident of Santa Fe who is remodeling her home at a cost beyond planned