1890's Squash Blossom Necklace

Historic early Navajo squash blossom necklace with Naja.

Dated to between the 1890’s ~ 1900.

Sterling silver.

Developed by Navajo silversmiths in the late nineteenth century, the squash blossom draws on the squash plant as one of the Three Sisters crops central to Native American life, carrying associations with fertility, abundance and protection.

This piece incorporates a naja, an ancient protection amulet associated with the crescent moon and interpreted in some Dine traditions as the protective arms of a mother.

Length 70cm.