Hoping to find out if I got duped on this purchase. I’ve always wanted a squash blossom necklace but they are very expensive and rightly so. I found this at an affordable price but now I’m questioning whether or not it’s authentic? Thank you in advance 
1 Like
TBH, I’m not sure if it’s Native American made (if that’s what you mean). Is there a hallmark on the back anywhere (or any marks)? The beads are giving me pause. I can’t see if there’s a seam on them…
And it looks like there’s little loose rings on the naja (the pendant part)? I wonder why those would be there.
Welcome to Turquoise People!
Hi, thank you for your reply! I’ll take better pics and upload them when I get back in a day or so. Those tiny loops were placed on it by the previous owner… they had some other pendant attached to it so I haven’t removed them yet. It looks so questionable to me as well and that’s why I’m reaching out. I thought maybe they cleaned around the stones and removed the patina and that’s why it looks kinda odd. No markings that I can see. Should there be seams around the beads? Thank you!
1 Like
That makes sense about the little loops; they were confusing me. Generally you’re going to see some kind of horizontal seam on Navajo beads. I don’t know as much about Mexican beads, but they seem to often have no seam or a vertical one. But of course there’s always exceptions, so a closer up picture of the beads when you can take one would be helpful. It can be confusing! I included a link to a discussion we had on this topic a while ago.
Beads/Navajo Pearls
The issue is that without a hallmark and no provenance from a good store, it’s hard to say to say for sure something is Native made. I have quite a few pieces of Native American jewelry that don’t have a hallmark, because they’re a little bit older, but I bought them in trustworthy stores in the Southwest that knew what they were selling.
Squash blossoms aren’t really my thing (mostly because like you said they’re quite expensive, and I know that I prob would not wear one as much as other things) so I’m really hoping someone else will jump in to give you better insight! And your squash is pretty whatever the case!
I see some similarities in this squash to yours.
quote from the item description.
*This squash blossom necklace is on the small side yet stands out for the deep red color of the stone, which we believe is a synthetic coral. The piece is a bit of a mystery, as is made of German Silver, not sterling, and we suspect it was an early piece for which the artist did not have sufficient investment to create a sterling silver squashblossom, nor real coral. That was common in the early days, when many artists were just getting started. The silver tone foundation onto which the bezels are set were not filed down as most pieces would have been. Still, it is quite lovely, and the smaller size is appealing to many. And you can’t deny the artistry that went into it, even if the most expensive materials were not used. Since it is unmarked, we can’t say for certain that it is Native American; hence, we call it Navajo style and/or Southwestern.
The necklace features ten squash blossoms and a naja, with two strands of silver beads moving into a single strand toward the top. The naja is also smaller, measuring about 2" across and 2-1/4" tall. Each strand is about 11" long (22" combined, not including the naja), and the naja adds that extra 2" making it a 13" long necklace total. The piece has some tarnish, and that darkened German silver looks even more dramatic against the red. In good vintage condition.
Beautiful, uncommon older piece.*
1 Like
Thank you again. It does seem to fit the German style and description. I’ll be uploading more pictures soon.
1 Like