Necklace c. 1930

This squash blossom necklace was made at an unknown date by a Navajo artist, and it's now here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Imagine the maker, carefully selecting each sphere of silver, stringing them together like thoughts forming a narrative. The repetitive act of placing each bead, linking them together, reminds me of the way we build up layers of meaning in painting, one stroke at a time. The cool, metallic sheen of the silver contrasts beautifully with the small triangle of turquoise, a pop of color like a single, resonant chord in a larger composition. I wonder what the artist was thinking as they crafted this piece. Was it a meditation? A prayer? Each element feels deliberate, considered, and deeply personal, like the way a painter might layer glazes to achieve a certain depth or luminosity. We build on the art of others, riffing on forms and ideas that resonate across time.