The squash blossom necklace carries weight. Not in metal alone, though there is sterling silver enough to know its presence on the chest. The weight comes from what the piece carries in its shape, its history, the hands that made it generations back. This is jewelry that tells a story. The Navajo knew this when they first crafted these necklaces in the late 1870s, drawing from Spanish designs that arrived centuries before. Now the piece sits at the neck of people seeking something real, something that endures beyond the season’s trend.
Squash Blossom Necklace
Squash Blossom Necklace History and Origins
The origins run deeper than most jewelry. Spanish conquistadors brought iron ornaments to their horses crescents meant to ward off the evil eye, a symbol with roots in ancient Moorish tradition. What began in distant lands, in the deserts of Spain and the merchant cities of North Africa, found its way to the American Southwest. The Navajo people saw these forms. They understood the geometry, the intention. By the 1870s, Navajo silversmiths had transformed this Spanish heritage into something distinctly their own. They took the crescent shape what would come to be called the Naja and built around it a necklace unlike anything that came before.
The squash blossom beads themselves carry another layer. Spanish traders wore decorative ornaments on their clothing, buttons and pendants shaped like pomegranates. The Navajo adapted these forms, created their own version in silver. The flared, open bead resembled the bloom of squash flowers, plants central to survival in the dry lands. Whether by intention or accident the Navajo word for the bead means simply “bead that spreads out” the necklace earned its name. Squash grows where these people grow corn and beans. It is sacred. The name fitted.
Squash Blossom Necklace Design and Craftsmanship
A squash blossom necklace lives in the balance of its parts. The Naja hangs at the center, a crescent of silver that draws the eye. It is often set with turquoise, the blue green stone pulled from the earth of the same region where the necklace was born. Above and below this pendant, squash blossom beads line the silver strand. Twelve in total, typically. Six ascending on each side, each bead worked by hand into its distinctive shape. The craftsmanship matters more than casual observation might suggest.
Sterling silver demands precision. The beads must be formed, filed, smoothed. Each stone must be cut to fit the setting. Turquoise comes in varieties sleeping beauty, Royston, natural deposit stones. Some stabilized, some not. The craftsperson chooses based on what the stone offers, what will endure. In skilled hands, the necklace becomes something greater than decoration. It becomes evidence of mastery.
The Zuni Pueblo people later refined the technique. They became known for their extraordinary lapidary work, their ability to set stones in intricate patterns. When turquoise found its way into squash blossom design the Zuni incorporating it first the Navajo followed. This exchange of technique, of aesthetics, created what exists today. Each tribal tradition brought its own vision Navajo purity and bold silverwork, Zuni detailed inlay and geometric precision, Pueblo interpretations that blended both. The necklace became not singular but multiple, each maker leaving their imprint.
Squash Blossom Necklace Meaning and Symbolism
The Naja protects. In the old understanding, carried from Moorish belief into Navajo spiritual practice, the crescent shape wards off the evil eye. Some say the crescent itself holds meaning the womb, fertility, the cycle of agricultural life. When turquoise centers the Naja, suspended at its heart, it becomes more than ornament. A child in the womb, some say. Life itself. The necklace links human fertility to crop fertility, to the endless cycle that made survival possible.
The squash blossom beads reinforce this connection. In Navajo culture, squash is one of the four sacred plants. Corn, beans, squash, and tobacco. These plants sustained the people. To wear squash blossom beads is to carry abundance, to acknowledge where sustenance comes from. The necklace whispers of harvest, of growth, of the earth’s generosity. It speaks to something deeper than fashion.
Yet the necklace also marked status. Navajo people wore wealth in their adornment. The larger, more intricate pieces were worn by those of influence. Tribal leaders recognized by the quality of their silver, the richness of their turquoise. The necklace was not worn in sacred ceremony, but it was worn to show one’s place in the world. It announced belonging, prosperity, connection to the land. It said I am of this place. My people crafted this. My heritage is visible, tangible, real.
Squash Blossom Necklace Wearing and Styling
The necklace demands respect from those who wear it. It cannot hide. The bold forms, the bright turquoise against silver, the weight of the piece it requires confidence. Yet confidence comes naturally when wearing something with history. The necklace works best against solid colors. A white shirt lets the turquoise sing. Navy deepens the effect. The stone wants contrast, room to breathe. Jewelry this significant should not compete with pattern or excess. Let the necklace be the statement.
Consider the length carefully. Some wear their pieces closer to the collarbone. Others prefer depth, the Naja resting just below the chest. Shorter lengths allow versatility across seasons and occasions. Longer pieces create visual drama but demand the right frame. Broader shoulders carry length well. The necklace is sometimes worn alone, sometimes paired with matching earrings or bracelets. Layering is possible but not necessary. A true squash blossom necklace needs no accompaniment.
The necklace works across contexts. It belongs at the rodeo in western boots and jeans. It belongs equally with a linen shirt and careful reserve. What matters is that the wearer understands what they carry. This is not costume. This is not trend. When the piece touches skin, something passes between metal and flesh. A connection to the hands that made it, to the history that produced it, to the land where it was born.
Squash Blossom Necklace Authenticity and Purchasing
Genuine pieces command prices that reflect their making. A true squash blossom necklace, handcrafted by a skilled artisan, costs fifteen hundred dollars or more. The price is not arbitrary. It covers raw materials sterling silver is not cheap, and turquoise of quality carries real value. More than this, it covers time. Real craftsmanship cannot be rushed. The silversmith must be compensated for knowledge built over years. Cheaper pieces are not bargains. They are substitutes.
Certain signs reveal authenticity. Real sterling silver is barely magnetic. A magnet should not pull hard on genuine pieces. Look for hallmarks, the maker’s signature stamped into the back. When purchasing from reputable dealers, ask questions. Where did the stone come from? Can the artist be named? Sellers of genuine work answer directly. Those selling imitations use language like “Navajo style” or “Native American style.” This is the legal warning sign. It means the piece is not authentic, is not created by the people whose traditions it borrows.
Aged pieces will show patina, small scratches, the marks of genuine use. If offered something old but pristine, be skeptical. Real turquoise ages. Plastics and synthetic stones fool no one with knowledge. The stone itself should feel right to the touch not smooth in the wrong way, not uniform in color in ways nature does not create uniformity. Buy from artists when possible, or from dealers who work directly with them. This is the only certain path to authenticity.
Squash Blossom Necklace Cultural Significance Today
The necklace endures because it refuses to become merely decorative. Each piece made carries forward something that began in the 1870s, something that reaches further back to Spain and beyond. To wear the necklace is to participate in this continuity. It is to say yes to a history that did not belong to the wearer, but which is offered freely now not as appropriation but as appreciation, as genuine respect for the hands that made the piece and the tradition those hands represent.
The Southwest claims these necklaces as its own. They identify those who understand the land, who have studied its story. Collectors prize vintage pieces, photographs from the 1890s showing Navajo people wearing necklaces crafted by their own relatives. These images anchor the piece in reality, in human hands, in specific moments. They prevent the necklace from becoming abstraction.
Contemporary makers continue the tradition. Young silversmiths learn from their elders, push the design forward while respecting its foundation. Modern interpretations appear in gold alongside traditional silver. New stone combinations emerge. Yet the essence remains unchanged the crescent Naja, the squash blossom beads, the marriage of form and meaning. The necklace has proven itself worthy of continuation.