Concho belts are considered to be among the
finest pieces of Native American Indian jewelry. Although concho belts are made
and worn by many tribes in the Southwest, they are primarily associated with
the Navajo. They first appeared on the Navajo reservation sometime around 1870.
"Concha" is the Spanish word for
shell, and refers to the round or oval disks of silver which are used to
decorate the belt and to the belt itself. The Navajo copied the design from
Mexican buttons and bridle ornaments and then added designs from the leather
stamps of the Spanish and Moors to craft a beautiful and unique piece of
jewelry.
In the 1890's,
Navajo silversmiths learned soldering and attached copper loops to the back of
the conchas to thread the leather belt. In the early 1900's
buckles were added to the belts, as were vertical plaques known as
"butterfly spacers."
Navajo artist, Sammy
Kescoli, learned a distinctive style of silver design from an older Navajo
silversmith from the Dilcon, Indian Wells, Teesto area, who worked with him in
Phoenix, Arizona in the mid 1980’s, when he was in school. At that time, this
style was popular and only found in the Phoenix
markets and did not appear in the Gallup
area until the 1990’s.
From this silver design, we offer this beautiful and unique hand-crafted
concho belt with nine sterling silver conchos, all evenly matched, each one measuring
2 inches wide and 3 3/8 inches long, as an ideal addition to any collection of
Native American wearable art.
If you
have any questions or would like to discuss the pricing, feel free to contact us. Also, if you
would like larger image files emailed to you, we would be happy to do so. We
desire that each transaction be a pleasant experience. You may review our refund policy
to assure mutual satisfaction.
The Navajo items we sell are hand
made with natural products by authentic Native American Indians. Insurance required.
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