A beautiful Navajo squash, bright sky blue sterling silver Sleeping Beauty turquoise, a long 29-1/4”. Weighs 252g. The stones have been carved randomly and unevenly (although smoothly) across the surfaces to add visual interest. The two strands of silver beads are laced on metal cables. Stone color closely matches Pantone 306U.

Signed D. D. Baca (Native American silversmith from Silver City, NM) + his hallmark bar; most likely from the late 70s-80s.

This seems to have been cleaned recently. It is up to every owner, of course, as to whether or not to clean Native American jewelry like this that has acquired a lovely patina. I was told many years ago that you should not fully clean this type of jewelry, as it decreases the value somewhat. Patinas will come back, however. Eventually. Cleaning the back of the naja, however, might be a good idea before wearing it unless you wear black. I am definitely not a professional, but I do try to acquire nice pieces and keep them that way.

"Hand Rolled Silver Beads & Navajo PearlsCreating hand-rolled silver beads, sometimes called 'Navajo Pearls', is a celebrated tradition among Navajo silversmiths and an icon of Navajo jewelry. The artist begins with two flat discs of silver, then shapes them into domes using a dapping punch. The halves are soldered together and filed to form a beautiful silver bead. Usually formed from heavy gauge sterling silver, the beads may be smooth, stamped, fluted, slightly flattened or round and polished. Making hand-rolled beads is an extremely labor-intensive process but it creates one of the most beautiful and recognized necklace styles in the world. (Found at shumakolowa.com.)"