Navajo Silver and Morenci Turquoise Super Naja Pendant Necklace

Our Navajo Silver and Morenci Turquoise Super Naja Pendant Necklace is an extraordinary example of traditional Navajo silversmithing transformed into bold, contemporary wearable sculpture. Its dramatic double-crescent silhouette surrounds a beautiful oval of vivid blue Morenci turquoise, delicately traced with natural matrix. Suspended from a simple black cord, the substantial silver pendant commands attention through its generous proportions, textured surface, and remarkable craftsmanship. There is something wonderfully powerful about its simplicity—a piece that celebrates both the beauty of the stone and the unmistakable individuality of the artisan's hand.

What makes this necklace particularly special is the traditional art of tufa casting. Rather than being stamped from a sheet of silver, the design is carved into a mold of volcanic tufa stone, into which molten sterling silver is poured. Once cooled, the casting is removed, refined, and finished by hand. This painstaking technique, documented in Navajo silverwork since the nineteenth century, produces the wonderfully irregular, almost weathered texture visible across the pendant. Every detail speaks to the patience and skill required to create it.

At its center sits Morenci turquoise, originating from the historic copper-mining district of southeastern Arizona. Celebrated for its brilliant blues and distinctive matrix, Morenci has become increasingly collectible because turquoise is no longer commercially mined there, leaving previously recovered material particularly sought after. The naja's open crescent form also carries a fascinating history: adapted by Navajo silversmiths from earlier horse-bridle ornaments, it became a defining feature of Southwestern jewelry during the nineteenth century. Its significance lies in that remarkable artistic continuity rather than any single universal spiritual interpretation.

Jean Marie has always been fascinated by exceptional Native American silverwork, an appreciation that began during childhood visits to the Pueblos with her mother, Philomena. Today, she continues seeking out artisans and unusual pieces throughout the Southwest, particularly those displaying uncommon craftsmanship and individuality. This magnificent naja embodies everything she treasures: history, extraordinary handwork, and a stone whose beauty cannot be duplicated. Worn against a simple white shirt, silk tunic, or flowing Pax Philomena kaftan, it becomes the entire statement, a one-of-a-kind piece of wearable sculpture to collect, cherish, and eventually pass forward

Made in New Mexico, USA.

4" x 3"

Weight 85 gr

Leather Necklace Included