RARE SILVER SQUASH BLOSSOM NAJA NECKLACE VINTAGE PIECE ANTIQUE

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RARE SILVER SQUASH BLOSSOM NAJA NECKLACE VINTAGE PIECE ANTIQUE:
$1100.00

HISTORY OF THE NAJA

The crescent is a Moorish symbol that was imbued intoSpanish cultureduring the Moorish conquests and the occupation Spain. The crescent design was common to many of the earliest civilizations prior. In the late 1500s and early 1600s, the saddles and bridles of huge, muscled horses of the Spanish Conquistadors were fitted with sterling, crescent-shaped pendants of Moorish origin. For the next 200 years, as the two cultures cycled through various phases of peace and strife in thestrugglefor power, the Navajo adapted and incorporated these and other traditional Spanish ornamentation into their jewelry.

Early on, Navajos’ wore the crescent-shapednajaon a rawhide necklace as an ornament of beauty and these pieces also came to symbolize wealth. If one person had such an ornament, others wanted one —if possible, something even better. In this way, an incredibly array of variations on the thenajaevolved. Eventually,najaheornaja, became associated with crop fertility and were worn during ceremonies related to the agricultural cycles. It was customary for Medicine men to wear squash blossom pieces as well.

The necklace weighs 6.6 oz.

Measurements from top to bottom roughly 14 inches (including naja which is 2 x 2.25 inches).

Please ask any questions before offerding. It\'s beautiful.