Navajo, Southwest
1920s
Sterling silver, turquoise, leather
Buckle 2 1/4 inches by 2 1/2 inches (5.7 by 6.4 cm)
Seven conchos, each 2 1/4 inches by 2 1/2 inches (5.7 by 6.4 cm)
Six butterflies, length 2 inches (5.1 cm)
Belt length 35 1/2 inches (90.2 cm)
357.72 grams
Provenance: Private collection, Taos, New Mexico
The belt carries seven scalloped oval conchos alternating with six butterfly spacers, each mounted on a leather strap worn smooth with age. The conchos are worked in repoussé with radiating lobed centers, chased line work, and stamped borders, and each is set with a square turquoise cabochon at its center. The rectangular buckle is stamped and chased along its arched borders and set with four square turquoise stones at the corners of the open frame.
Third phase concho belts developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Navajo silversmiths abandoned the central slot of earlier conchos in favor of a solid center and moved the leather beneath the plaques by means of copper loops on the reverse. This construction allowed the full face of the concho to be devoted to design, and the addition of set turquoise reflects the growing availability of the stone through the reservation trading posts of the period. Butterfly spacers between the conchos are a defining feature of the type, filling the belt line and increasing the total weight of worn silver.
At over 350 grams the belt is heavy, and the darkened recesses and worn leather indicate long use rather than shelf life. Belts of this kind were made as wearable wealth, held as a form of savings and worn on occasions of importance. The turquoise stones vary in tone from pale blue to deep green, and their irregular natural surfaces confirm hand cutting rather than uniform machine work.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Navajo, Southwest
1920s
Sterling silver, turquoise, leather
Buckle 2 1/4 inches by 2 1/2 inches (5.7 by 6.4 cm)
Seven conchos, each 2 1/4 inches by 2 1/2 inches (5.7 by 6.4 cm)
Six butterflies, length 2 inches (5.1 cm)
Belt length 35 1/2 inches (90.2 cm)
357.72 grams
Provenance: Private collection, Taos, New Mexico
The belt carries seven scalloped oval conchos alternating with six butterfly spacers, each mounted on a leather strap worn smooth with age. The conchos are worked in repoussé with radiating lobed centers, chased line work, and stamped borders, and each is set with a square turquoise cabochon at its center. The rectangular buckle is stamped and chased along its arched borders and set with four square turquoise stones at the corners of the open frame.
Third phase concho belts developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Navajo silversmiths abandoned the central slot of earlier conchos in favor of a solid center and moved the leather beneath the plaques by means of copper loops on the reverse. This construction allowed the full face of the concho to be devoted to design, and the addition of set turquoise reflects the growing availability of the stone through the reservation trading posts of the period. Butterfly spacers between the conchos are a defining feature of the type, filling the belt line and increasing the total weight of worn silver.
At over 350 grams the belt is heavy, and the darkened recesses and worn leather indicate long use rather than shelf life. Belts of this kind were made as wearable wealth, held as a form of savings and worn on occasions of importance. The turquoise stones vary in tone from pale blue to deep green, and their irregular natural surfaces confirm hand cutting rather than uniform machine work.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
