Comments for Indian (not sure what tribe if any) squash blossom necklace made of silver and turquoise. I just want to know if its really what it seems to be.

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History of the "Untraditional" Squash Blossom Necklace
by: Anonymous

The Native American Squash Blossom Necklace is a fantastic example of why “traditional” is anything but! The squash blossom necklace, that's considered one of the most traditional pieces of Native American jewelry made use of a foreign materials and foreign technology.

The assembly of the squash blossom necklace made use of Silver, also foreign to the tribes of the Southwest, and foreign technology. The Spanish introduced Silversmithing early on to the Southwest but it didn’t begin to take hold among the tribes until the late 1860s, early 1870s.

The design of the squash blossom necklace involved combining design elements from another continent, a Pomegranate Blossom, yep, a Pomegranate fruit which is the centrepiece, the horseshoe-shaped pendant that the Navajo call a "Nazha" was introduced to American shores by the Spainish conquistadors.

It was the Moors who brought the seedy fruit to Spain around 800 A.D. Granada was named for the pomegranate, which became their national emblem. The first pomegranate planted in Britain was done by none other than King Henry VIII!

The Native Americans pf the Southwest combined all these foreign things and created something that distinctly fit a Navajo aesthetic.

In the 1870s, when it first came out, the Squash Blossom Necklace would have been regarded as very innovative, but today it’s viewed as one of the most traditional of Indian jewelry.

So in the History of the Squash Blossom “traditional” only describes it at one point in time. In it's early history the Squash Blossom wasn’t traditional, at all - it was totally out there!

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I Love Your Squash Blossom Necklace!
by: Mary

Mandy

wow - what a gorgeous squash blossom necklace. It looks to me what it is supposed to be - an old estate native american squash blossom necklace!

It looks Zuni with the petitipoint turquoise stones; what a beautiful Naja - have you seen the Mudhead Gallery's collection?

Here is a link to some awesome squash blossom necklaces-check out the prices too!

http://www.mudheadgallery.com/categories.php?cat1=Jewelry&cat2=SQUASHBLOSSOM%20NECKLACES&tot=6&page=4

Congratulations! Good for you!

Mary Ki

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