PE581 silver naja pendant Harpo

One of a kind

Magnificent Navajo pendant in sterling silver. It represents a beautiful Naja.

The Naja is reminiscent of a horseshoe. It is an element found particularly in the pendants of traditional necklaces known as Squash Blossom. Like a talisman, the Naja confers protection.

The Naja can be made in a variety of styles, depending on the artist who creates it. Here, we can see that the Naja is topped with a shape reminiscent of the fleur-de-lys, a symbol borrowed and reinterpreted from European colonial times, and the ends are welded with smooth spheres. 

This pendant is made using an ancestral Navajo jewelry technique known as Tufa Cast:

The artist takes a mold of volcanic stone (tufa) and divides it into two parts. One part is carved with a motif of his choice, into which he pours molten silver. The second part covers this pattern and is firmly attached to the first. Once the silver has hardened, the piece is removed from the mold, which usually breaks, creating a unique piece. The resulting jewel has rough aspect clearly showing the asperity of the tufa.

Dimensions (H x l) including pendant ring : 40mm x 18mm

(1 inch 5/8 0.6/8 inch)

Proudly Navajo handmade in the USA. 

To complete this pendant, please visit our necklaces section.