Vintage handcrafted Sterling silver Modernist / Deco Naja 'Squash Blossom' necklace with earrrings set, c. 1930's. 19 1/2" long. Hallmarked Sterling. 
 
The necklace consist of a double row of silver Navajo pearls, that continues into a single strand towards the back. It has 10 smaller naja pendants (of the same size as the earrings) on the sides with one bigger central Naja. 
 
The Origin of the Naja: 
“The Navajos greatly admired the silverwork of the early Spaniards, who loved personal adornment that was lavishly decorated with silver. One example is the naja, a crescent-shaped pendant appearing on the bridles of Spanish horses, originally used by the Moors of North Africa and eventually copied by the Navajos. Today, the naja is still used as a pendant on squash blossom necklaces and other jewelry.” (The Beauty of Navajo Jewelry, Theda Bassman)
 
The word naja is the anglicized version of a word, which in Diné bizaad (the Navajo language) is called a 'najahe', which means crescent. The naja pendant, an inverted crescent-shaped symbol, commonly seen in Diné silverwork, is sometimes worn on it's own, but is most recognizable as the centerpiece of the squash blossom necklace. Here on this necklace, instead of squash blossom pendants on the sides, it has naja pendants all throughout. 
 
Some naja necklaces, like the one on offer here, have two small outstretched hands on each side of the crescent. It is believed that the hands, derived from the Moors, originate as a reference to Hamsa or “the hands of Fatima". An age-old symbol of protection derived from the Moors.
 
The motif was adopted and adapted, and new meanings found it's way into another culture. One story told by Navajo, is that the naja represents a person and the hands represent the family that surrounds that person in love. 
 
Another comparison that is being made is that with the Hogan (traditional Navajo home). 
The Navajo may have gravitated towards the design because of the importance of horses to the Diné lifestyle. Or attribute its value to not being able to easily acquire it, and therfore becoming a status symbol. But another reason that would explain why Navajo would be so drawn to the crescent-shaped symbol, is the Hogan, and the way it is constructed.
The doorway is always on the eastern side, where you would greet the rising run. When you enter a hogan, (which is a circular structure), you always walk clockwise. When you exit the hogan, you walk through the doorway facing the East. The Navajo wedding basket, also has a pathway incorporated into its design, which should also be facing east during the ceremony. This concept of a pathway leading east is an essential aspect of Diné culture. To live a life of balance,  the Dine follow a path that leads out to the East (from the hogan) with a circle around them, and from the East everything leas to 'hózhó', which translate to beauty or harmony . In this way the naja is symbolic to that path of goodness.
 
This one-of-a-kind Naja necklace makes for a most loving and embracing piece of jewelry. We hope this Naja Necklace will bring unity and comfort to those who wear it.