Squash Blossoms:
From Spanish Pomegranates
to Southwestern Icon

Chimayo Trading Staff Report | June 2026

Few forms of Native American jewelry are as instantly recognizable as the Navajo squash blossom necklace. With its graceful strands of silver beads, flower-like ornaments, and crescent-shaped naja pendant, the squash blossom necklace has become one of the defining symbols of Southwestern art. Yet its story is not solely Native American, nor solely Spanish. Instead, it is the result of centuries of cultural exchange, adaptation, and artistic innovation.

Come visit Chimayo Trading in Ranchos de Taos or online at chimayotrading.com to see our extensive collection of Squash Blossom necklaces, including many New Arrivals.

Vintage Navajo Squash Blossom, ca. 1960s
Sterling Silver, Navajo Pearls, Kingman Turquoise
Length: 26″
Pendant: 3.25″ x 2.75″
$2100

Prior to the nineteenth century, Native American jewelry was primarily fashioned from shell, stone, and other natural materials. The art of silversmithing was learned after contact with Spanish craftsmen in the Southwest during the 19th century.

Vintage Navajo Squash Blossom
Sterling Silver, Bisbee Turquoise
Length: 25″
Pendant: 2.75″ x 2.75″
$4500

Navajo and Pueblo artisans quickly mastered silverworking techniques and began developing distinctive forms that reflected both their own aesthetic traditions and influences encountered through trade and cultural interaction.

Vintage Navajo Squash Blossom
Sterling Silver, Morenci Turquoise
Length: 27.5″
Pendant: 4″ x 3.5″
$3800

By the 19th century, Navajo silversmiths were creating the earliest examples of what would become known as the squash blossom necklace. These early pieces were often entirely silver, with turquoise added later as the style evolved. Despite the name, many historians believe the necklace’s signature “blossoms” are not actually based on squash flowers.

Vintage Navajo Squash Blossom, ca. 1930s
Sterling Silver
Length: 32″
Pendant: 3.5″ x 3″
$4500

One of the most widely accepted theories traces the design to the pomegranate blossom motif used in Spain. Decorative silver pomegranate flowers appeared on clothing, horse trappings, and military adornments worn by Spanish settlers and soldiers. The motif was particularly associated with Granada, Spain, whose name derives from the Spanish word for pomegranate.

Vintage Navajo Squash Blossom
Sterling Silver, Morenci Turquoise
Length: 25″
Pendant: 3.5″ x 3.5″
$3500

Navajo silversmiths adapted this flared floral design into silver beads that spread outward at their ends, eventually creating the ornaments now known as squash blossoms. Some scholars argue that the name “squash blossom” emerged later because Anglo collectors thought the silver ornaments resembled the blossoms of squash plants native to the American Southwest. Others maintain that Native artists intentionally incorporated references to important agricultural plants. The true origin of the name remains debated.

Navajo Squash Blossom and Earrings Set
Sterling Silver, Kingman Turquoise
Length: 26.5″
Pendant: 2″ x 2″
$1350

Equally fascinating is the necklace’s crescent-shaped centerpiece, known as the naja. The naja’s origins stretch far beyond the American Southwest. Similar crescent forms appeared in North Africa and the Middle East and were later adopted by the Moors of Spain. The design eventually became a common ornament on Spanish horse bridles, where it was believed to provide protection and ward off misfortune.

Vintage Navajo Squash Blossom, ca. 1950s
Sterling Silver, Morenci Turquoise
Length: 26″
Pendant: 3.25″ x 2.75″
$1980

When Spanish settlers arrived in the Southwest, the symbol came with them. Navajo artisans incorporated the crescent form into their jewelry, transforming it into the dramatic focal point of the squash blossom necklace.

Vintage Navajo Squash Blossom by J. Roybal
Sterling Silver, Sleeping Beauty Turquoise
Length: 26″
Pendant: 3.25″ x 2.75″
$2980

The earliest squash blossom necklaces were often made entirely of silver. By the late nineteenth century, turquoise became increasingly important to the design. Zuni artists were particularly influential in incorporating extensive turquoise settings, cluster work, and inlay techniques that later spread throughout the Southwest. Over time, turquoise became so closely associated with squash blossom necklaces that many collectors now consider it an essential feature.

Navajo Squash Blossom and Earrings Set
Sterling Silver, Kingman Turquoise
Length: 24″
$1800

For the Navajo, silver jewelry served not only as adornment but also as a store of wealth and a visible expression of craftsmanship and status. Squash blossom necklaces became prized possessions, often passed through generations and worn during important ceremonies and gatherings.

Vintage Navajo Sterling Silver Squash Blossom Style Beaded Necklace & Earrings Set
Sterling Silver
Length: 25″
$950

What makes the squash blossom necklace remarkable is that it embodies a uniquely Southwestern story. Spanish pomegranate motifs, Moorish crescent forms, Mexican silversmithing traditions, and Navajo artistic vision all converged to create an object that is unmistakably Native American while also reflecting centuries of cultural exchange.

Vintage Zuni Owl Squash Blossom Necklace by Ann Sheyka, ca. 1950s
Sterling Silver, Turquoise, Coral, Jet Mother of Pearl & Shell
Length: 30″
Pendant: 3″ x 3″
$3500

More than a piece of jewelry, the squash blossom necklace stands as a testament to adaptation, creativity, and the enduring legacy of Navajo silversmiths whose work transformed borrowed elements into one of the most celebrated art forms of the American Southwest.

Peyote Bird Necklace
Sterling Silver, Turquoise, Coral, Jet
Length: 26″
Pendant: 2″ x 2″
$900

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