The Squash Blossom Necklace & the Naja

No form says “Southwest silver” louder than the squash blossom necklace: a strand of hollow silver beads, flanked by flowering side-beads, carrying a crescent pendant — the naja — at its center. Its pieces each have their own documented story.

Classic turquoise squash blossom necklace with hollow silver beads, blossom side beads, and stone-set naja pendant — **The full form:** beads, blossoms, and the naja at center. From the T.Skies gallery.

Close-up of squash blossom side beads — the flowering silver form with turquoise settings — **The blossoms:** the flowering side-beads that give the necklace its name — detail from the necklace at left.

Squash blossom necklace with an open naja crescent pendant — **The naja:** the open crescent — horns, shoulders, and center drop. From the T.Skies gallery.

We strive for accuracy in everything published here. This page is updated as new information reaches us from artists, families, and community members — corrections are welcome. Facts are cited directly to their book sources below.

Sources

Navajo Silver: A Brief History of Navajo Silversmithing, p. 45
Frank & Holbrook, Indian Silver Jewelry of the Southwest, 1868–1930, pp. 47–48
Smithsonian American Art Museum; Maxwell Museum of Anthropology (UNM) — institutional collection records
Arizona Highways (1954 Southwest Indian jewelry issue), p. 31
Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry, p. 192
Arizona Highways (1954), p. 31

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