The attached photo is of an outstanding piece done by Gale Self.
This is a green turquoise Naja done from stone out of the Kingman mine in Arizona.
The Naja is actually a Navajo word meaning crescent-shaped pendant. Both the Naja and the Squash blossom were introduced to the Navajo by the Spanish. The Naja is similar to the crescent-shaped pendants that hung from the headstalls of Spanish silver bridles. The Spanish first borrowed the design element in earlier centuries from the Moors of North Africa.
Gale has enhanced this Naja by making the center piece removable allowing much for versatility. He has a unique way of taking a very traditional item and putting a more modern twist on it.
