Vintage Navajo Coral Necklace Five Strands

Coral is extremely significant to Navajo and Pueblo people. Fortunately, they've shared this almost sacred material through the jewelry they've created for us.

This five strand natural red coral necklace is a vintage handmade Navajo piece. The necklace is nothing but multiple red tubes of coral finished with silver cones and beads. That simplicity is its power, though, for this vintage coral necklace is almost spiritual in feel.

You can wear this necklace by itself and let this treasured material speak for itself, or you can stack it with other necklaces of turquoise, shell and even other beads. For an even more unexpected look, you can attach a pendant to the necklace as long as it has a large enough bale or if it has a shepherd's hook to simply attach right over the coral beads. 

This special necklace measures 25" from end to end plus a 3" extender. The little coral tubes range in size from about 1/8" to 1/4". 

This necklace has an interesting provenance. It comes from a dear friend and client of Martha Struever's. It was originally consigned to Martha Struever to sell back in 2017. Back in 2017, Martha Struever priced it, and despite rampant inflation and the rarity of coral, it's being sold at its 2017 price.

If you watch this wonderful video by traditional Navajo beadworker Zeke Argeneas, you'll learn some great information about coral jewelry. The coral section starts at 6:22.