TrendsFeb 29, 2016
The History Behind … 1970s StyleTrendsFeb 07, 2018
The History Behind … The Squash Blossom Necklace
The latest installment in our antique jewelry series examines the iconic Native American design.
A squash blossom necklace from the collection of the Heard Museum in Phoenix. Created by Zuni artist Leekya Deyuse (1889-1966) in 1939, this particular squash blossom features fetish carvings of frogs in the turquoise. A Zuni trademark, fetish jewelry features animals, leaves or faces carved out of a hard material, like turquoise, coral, rocks or antlers. (Photo credit: Craig Smith with the Heard Museum, Phoenix)
New York--When one thinks of Native American jewelry, there’s likely a design that readily comes to mind.
A necklace crafted in silver and turquoise consisting of round silver beads interspersed with beads that look like they are blooming, all leading down to what looks like a horseshoe or, some would say, a crescent moon turned on its side.
Who were the first to make these necklaces that we know as squash blossoms and where did they get their name? (Hint: It is from a fruit, though maybe not the one you have in mind.)
To learn more about the design, National Jeweler spoke with two experts on the subject: Lois Sherr Dubin, author of a number of books about Native American jewelry including “North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment” and “Jesse Monongya—Opal Bears and Lapis Skies,” and Joseph Tanner and his daughter, Emerald. The Tanners own Tanner’s Indian Arts in Gallup, New Mexico, and have a private collection of squash blossom necklaces.
Here’s what they had to say.
When were the first squash blossom necklaces made?
While squash blossom imagery can be found in petroglyphs (rock art) that pre-date European contact in the Southwest, Dubin said the squash blossom necklace was created in the late 1870s or early 1880s after the native people of the area made contact with Spanish Mexicans.
The Navajo, it is believed, were the first tribe to adopt the design, but by the early 1900s, the art form had spread to neighboring tribes, including the Zuni and the Pueblo.
Native Americans had plenty of their own jewelry before they made contact with the European settlers, yes, but, “This particular art form … was really European-influenced,” she said.
So, we call it a “squash blossom” necklace. Where did that name originate?
The actual origins of the name are “a little loose,” Dubin said.
The name of the necklace really grew out of the one type of bead that was, as mentioned above, developed by and credited to the Navajo, and whose name in the Navajo language translates to “bead which spreads out,” Dubin said.
While the entire necklace has taken its name from one type of bead, the classic squash blossom necklace actually has three distinct parts: the plain round beads; the round beads with the “petals,” so to speak; and the horseshoe-like pendant at the bottom called the Naja.
There is a lot of scholarly discussion around the topic, Dubin said, and there are two competing beliefs about the origin of the name “squash blossom.”
A necklace crafted in silver and turquoise consisting of round silver beads interspersed with beads that look like they are blooming, all leading down to what looks like a horseshoe or, some would say, a crescent moon turned on its side.
Who were the first to make these necklaces that we know as squash blossoms and where did they get their name? (Hint: It is from a fruit, though maybe not the one you have in mind.)
To learn more about the design, National Jeweler spoke with two experts on the subject: Lois Sherr Dubin, author of a number of books about Native American jewelry including “North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment” and “Jesse Monongya—Opal Bears and Lapis Skies,” and Joseph Tanner and his daughter, Emerald. The Tanners own Tanner’s Indian Arts in Gallup, New Mexico, and have a private collection of squash blossom necklaces.
Here’s what they had to say.
When were the first squash blossom necklaces made?
While squash blossom imagery can be found in petroglyphs (rock art) that pre-date European contact in the Southwest, Dubin said the squash blossom necklace was created in the late 1870s or early 1880s after the native people of the area made contact with Spanish Mexicans.
The Navajo, it is believed, were the first tribe to adopt the design, but by the early 1900s, the art form had spread to neighboring tribes, including the Zuni and the Pueblo.
Native Americans had plenty of their own jewelry before they made contact with the European settlers, yes, but, “This particular art form … was really European-influenced,” she said.
So, we call it a “squash blossom” necklace. Where did that name originate?
The actual origins of the name are “a little loose,” Dubin said.
The name of the necklace really grew out of the one type of bead that was, as mentioned above, developed by and credited to the Navajo, and whose name in the Navajo language translates to “bead which spreads out,” Dubin said.
While the entire necklace has taken its name from one type of bead, the classic squash blossom necklace actually has three distinct parts: the plain round beads; the round beads with the “petals,” so to speak; and the horseshoe-like pendant at the bottom called the Naja.
There is a lot of scholarly discussion around the topic, Dubin said, and there are two competing beliefs about the origin of the name “squash blossom.”
Some say that the Navajo created the squash blossom after seeing the pomegranate design frequently used as decoration by the Spanish people, including on the buttons of the soldiers’ uniforms. (In parts of Spain, the pomegranate is a revered fruit; in particular, it is the heraldic symbol of the city of Granada, which is also the Spanish word for the fruit known in English as pomegranate.)
Others, meanwhile, believe that the squash blossom is exactly as advertised—a design taken from the flowery part of the squash plant, which, along with corn and beans, are the crops that Native Americans relied on in the Southwest.
“These are native plants that they would see the importance of, and I am of the belief that most native work has meaning behind it, at least originally,” Dubin said.
Regarding the plain round beads, does the number of them in between the squash blossom beads hold any meaning?
No, Dubin said, it’s arbitrary: “There’s nothing other than the artist’s wish to make it more or less elaborate.”
Aside from the beads, the necklace also has another part, the Naja. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
“Naja” is the name the Navajo gave to a symbol believed to have originated in the Middle East in ancient times. Like some many symbols, it was created as a talisman for protection, with the Moors affixing it to their horses’ bridles to ward off the evil eye.
It ended up as the centerpiece of the squash blossom necklace in one of two ways, Dubin said.
Either the Navajo saw it on the Spanish Mexicans, or it came to the Southwest through the Plains people, the Shawnee or the Delaware. “Again, that’s unclear,” she said. “But the point is, the form itself has ancient origins.”
In early examples of squash blossom necklaces, the Najas are strictly silver, but later Native Americans began adding turquoise and even coral to them as the design evolved over time, Joe Tanner said.
He added that the Naja is also representative of the womb, and when a squash blossom necklace features a single turquoise nugget suspended from the Naja, it is often interpreted to be symbolic of a child in the womb.
Were squash blossom necklaces worn for a specific purpose?
While the necklaces do not have a specific ceremonial use, they were worn as a symbol of one’s status, wealth and cultural belonging.
And the bigger, the better, Dubin said: “You wore your wealth in these cultures—you wore your silver, you wore your turquoise.”
The jewelry the natives made for themselves was big and bold, employing big chunks of turquoise and heavy-gauge silver (see Della Casa Appa’s immense squash blossom necklace above), though the artists tended to scale it down when creating jewelry for tourists and non-natives.
As noted, squash blossom necklaces primarily were crafted in in silver and turquoise. Is that because these were the materials that were readily available to the Native Americans, with the silver coming from Mexico?
Dubin said actually, Native Americans originally used the American silver dollar for their necklaces, doming two coins and then soldering them together. After the government decided they didn’t want coins being used as jewelry materials, they started using sheet silver.
Tanner said the early squash blossom necklaces used what is called “First Phase”-style silversmithing and have a more rustic look to them.
“But (it was) still way ahead of its time,” he noted. “The Native American artists of that time were hand-fabricating jewelry before they had all the tools that contemporary artists today have.”
Gemstone-wise, turquoise was, and still is, a very sacred stone in the Southwest. This is because, first of all, it’s a local stone that comes from “Mother Earth,” Dubin said, and though it originates in places with an arid landscape, it is blue, like water and the sky that brings water.
“It’s just the native beloved stone, a sacred stone,” she said. “You’re not Navajo, you’re not Southwest without your turquoise.”
Related stories will be right here …
While the necklaces do not have a specific ceremonial use, they were worn as a symbol of one’s status, wealth and cultural belonging.
And the bigger, the better, Dubin said: “You wore your wealth in these cultures—you wore your silver, you wore your turquoise.”
The jewelry the natives made for themselves was big and bold, employing big chunks of turquoise and heavy-gauge silver (see Della Casa Appa’s immense squash blossom necklace above), though the artists tended to scale it down when creating jewelry for tourists and non-natives.
As noted, squash blossom necklaces primarily were crafted in in silver and turquoise. Is that because these were the materials that were readily available to the Native Americans, with the silver coming from Mexico?
Dubin said actually, Native Americans originally used the American silver dollar for their necklaces, doming two coins and then soldering them together. After the government decided they didn’t want coins being used as jewelry materials, they started using sheet silver.
Tanner said the early squash blossom necklaces used what is called “First Phase”-style silversmithing and have a more rustic look to them.
“But (it was) still way ahead of its time,” he noted. “The Native American artists of that time were hand-fabricating jewelry before they had all the tools that contemporary artists today have.”
Gemstone-wise, turquoise was, and still is, a very sacred stone in the Southwest. This is because, first of all, it’s a local stone that comes from “Mother Earth,” Dubin said, and though it originates in places with an arid landscape, it is blue, like water and the sky that brings water.
“It’s just the native beloved stone, a sacred stone,” she said. “You’re not Navajo, you’re not Southwest without your turquoise.”
Joe Tanner added that though some gemologists and designers prize the clean, clear, robin’s egg blue turquoise from mines like Sleeping Beauty over stones with a heavier matrix, that’s not the case among Native American designers.
“The old medicine priests in the Southwest say if it doesn’t have the matrix and spider-webbing, then it doesn’t carry that extra strength that (they believe) these patterns bring to the gemstone,” he said.
While turquoise was the main gemstone used, squash blossom necklaces with other gemstones, including coral and mother-of-pearl, can be found.
When was this style at the height of its popularity?
According to Dubin, the squash blossom necklace peaked in the early 1970s, when the bohemian fashion trends of the time begat a turquoise craze.
“There was a frenzy of buying turquoise in the ‘70s in the Southwest, and what was swept up in that were squash blossom necklaces that were heavily inlaid with turquoise,” she said. “And then it kind of subsided a bit.”
But the style never completely disappeared, and while it’s not a prime art form today, it’s considered traditional, and many modern Native Americans designers still pay homage to the style.
Joe Tanner said he sees demand for squash blossom necklaces from a younger generation.
“Part of the reason that it’s so popular in the current retail market is that millennials buyers, they like their jewelry to look handmade,” he said. “They’re going for these more First Phase-style looks so it has the appearance that it is handmade, even in cases in which it is not.”
More on Trends
The Latest
Supplier BulletinApr 24, 2025
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessSponsored by the Gemological Institute of America
EditorsApr 24, 2025
Q&A: Wolf’s CEO Talks U.S. ExpansionSimon Wolf shares why the time was right to open a new office here, what he looks for in a retail partner, and why he loves U.S. consumers.
IndependentsApr 24, 2025
Longtime Iowa Jeweler Herman Ginsberg Dies at 99 A third-generation jeweler, Ginsberg worked at his family’s store, Ginsberg Jewelers, from 1948 until his retirement in 2019.
Brought to you by
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessThe risk of laboratory-grown diamonds being falsely presented as natural diamonds presents a very significant danger to consumer trust.
FinancialsApr 24, 2025
Charles & Colvard Delisted From Nasdaq Due to NoncomplianceThe company failed to file its quarterly reports in a timely manner.
Weekly QuizApr 24, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
SourcingApr 24, 2025
Young Diamantaires Transition to NonprofitThe organization also announced its board of directors.
MajorsApr 23, 2025
Bulgari Doubles Size of Jewelry Factory in ItalyLocated in Valenza, the now 355,000-square-foot facility includes a new jewelry school that’s open to the public, Scuola Bulgari.
Events & AwardsApr 23, 2025
PDPaola Creative Director Wins FGI’s ‘Rising Star’ AwardPaola Sasplugas, co-founder of the Barcelona-based jewelry brand, received the Fine Jewelry Award.
AuctionsApr 23, 2025
Rare Custom Rolex Daytona Heads to AuctionA platinum Zenith-powered Daytona commissioned in the late ‘90s will headline Sotheby’s Important Watches sale in Geneva next month.
MajorsApr 23, 2025
David Yurman’s New Campaign Stars Carmelo Anthony, Jaylen BrownThe basketball stars wear men’s jewelry from the “Curb Chain” collection.
MajorsApr 22, 2025
Zales’ Rebrand Takes Playful Approach to Fine JewelryThe Signet Jewelers-owned retailer wants to encourage younger shoppers to wear fine jewelry every day, not just on special occasions.
AuctionsApr 22, 2025
Christie’s to Auction JAR Jewelry CollectionThe 21 pieces, all from a private collector, will be offered at its Magnificent Jewels auction next month.
ColumnistsApr 22, 2025
The PR Adviser: Building Buzz Through Word of MouthLilian Raji answers a question from a reader who is looking to grow her jewelry business but has a limited marketing budget.
GradingApr 22, 2025
Avi Levy Is GCAL By Sarine’s New Chief Growth OfficerGCAL by Sarine created the new role to sharpen the company’s focus on strategic partnerships and scalable expansion.
IndependentsApr 22, 2025
Brinker’s Jewelers Acquires Fellow IndependentThe Indiana jeweler has acquired Scottsdale Fine Jewelers in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Events & AwardsApr 21, 2025
An Exhibition Exploring the History of Cartier Is Now on Display“Cartier: Design, Craft, and Legacy” opened earlier this month at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
IndependentsApr 21, 2025
New York Jeweler to Close After 111 YearsVan Cott Jewelers in Vestal, New York, is hosting a going-out-of-business sale.
IndependentsApr 21, 2025
IJO Names New Director of Vendor Relations, Merchandise StrategyIndustry veteran Samantha Larson has held leadership roles at Borsheims, McTeigue & McClelland, Stuller, and Long’s Jewelers.
Events & AwardsApr 21, 2025
Jewelers of Louisiana, Mississippi Jewelers Association to Co-Host ConventionThe two organizations will hold the educational event together this fall in Mississippi.
Events & AwardsApr 18, 2025
Daymond John to Give Keynote at JCK Las VegasThe entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” star will share his top tips for success.
CollectionsApr 18, 2025
Piece of the Week: Dukachi’s ‘Easter Bread’ PendantThe Ukrainian brand’s new pendant is modeled after a traditional paska, a pastry often baked for Easter in Eastern European cultures.
IndependentsApr 18, 2025
Bremer Jewelry to Reveal Renovated StoreThe jeweler has announced a grand reopening for its recently remodeled location in Peoria, Illinois.
MajorsApr 18, 2025
Tiffany & Co. Employees Star in Mother’s Day CampaignThe “Strong Like Mom” campaign features moms who work at Tiffany & Co. and their children.
CollectionsApr 17, 2025
John Hardy, Athena Calderone Partner on Art Deco Decor-Inspired CollectionInterior designer Athena Calderone looked to decor from the 1920s and 1930s when crafting her first fine jewelry collection.
FinancialsApr 17, 2025
Movado Group to Increase Prices to Offset Tariffs ImpactDuring a call about its full-year results, CEO Efraim Grinberg discussed how the company is approaching the uncertainty surrounding tariffs.
Lab-GrownApr 17, 2025
NDC Launches Its Diamond Learning CenterThe free program provides educational content for jewelry salespeople and enthusiasts to learn or refresh their diamond knowledge.
