ABOUT THE ARTIST:

NUMEROUS award winner Navajo artist Harry Morgan (1947-2008) was a 5th generation Navajo silversmith who'll always be remembered for his traditional "Vintage Revival-Old Pawn" style jewelry that had these gleaming sterling vintage looking darkened finishings that were made in a classic old style Navajo design..The beauty he gave the sterling was so warm that it brought out the metal's maximum luster..Harry once said "That's the way old style jewelry should look," he said.. "When silver is all shined up it hides all of the intricate detail in the stamp work and the bezels. This older style is what I grew up with and what I love."

Although it was his mother who inspired him to create this style of jewelry that had that old Navajo look,it was Harry however who was the 1st to bring this style to the forefront of the industry..Paving the way for others like his brother-in-law Kirk Smith who then followed in Harry's footsteps & with Kirk's connection with other artists,they then followed in Kirk's footsteps. Now this is the dominant style amongst most Navajo artists & you see this old pawn style darkened finishing everywhere..Kirks name will always be associated with Harry's & vise versa.

if you've ever wondered why most Navajo pieces have that old style look & finishing where many of you can't tell if the piece is new or old anymore,it was this man who we can give the credit to for bringing a style of jewelry that we now see everywhere. He lived to see his jewelry being exhibited at the Heard Museum a year before his death..

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SQUASH BLOSSOM PROVENANCE:

This was brought into my store by a lady who actually got this directly from Harry about 35 years ago in Santa Fe.She was downsizing on some of the pieces that she no longer wore & is in very well kept,like new condition!

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THE NECKLACE:

Strung through 2 strands of 8 mm range bench beads, are 10 multi colored panels where Harry used both purple & orange Spiny Oyster & 4 different colored turquoise.Each are secured in a simple wire wrapped bezel & each have little conchos beads that were then hand stamped & used as decor at the top of each panel.The panels are held by bars to keep the beads stationary..The 2 strand portion measures 16-1/4" & where it turns into a single strand, measures 4-3/4" per side.

All the beads in this are all made by hand!! The Naja is sand cast & has hands that come together at the very bottom.

It's very wearable in weight & is not as heavy as many you'll find out there that could hurt your neck! This gives you that classic-traditional Navajo look that screams "Southwest" & can be paired with any of the materials within it. Anything you own by Harry's will ALWAYS be a real keeper & will never lose it's value, since he played a major role in our step forward in Navajo jewelry design.