Name: Early Navajo Coin Silver Squash Blossom
SKU: 372535

Early Navajo Coin Silver Squash Blossom

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Old Navajo squash blossom with crosses and nadja made of hand-filed coins and handmade beads. Made for their own use, turn of the century or before. Simple and important. Purchased from family where it had been for three generations along with three other 19th century pieces. The Navajo word for the squash blossom bead literally means “bead that spreads out”. This tri-petal form first appeared about 1880. Scholars believe that this flower motif was introduced by the Spanish as a variation of the pomegranate flower blossom, and the Navajo adapted it as a symbol of their revered squash. Initially the necklaces were rather simple with the tri-petal silver beads interspersed with rather plain beads. In time, stones were added to the blossom beads as demonstrated in our collection. According to the Navajo, the Naja is strictly decorative; however, it has always been held in high regard by the Navajo and other peoples.

PERIOD: 19th Century

ORIGIN: Southwest - Navajo, Native American

SIZE: 23" long, 1 1/2" nadja