Belt Buckle with Silver Appliqué Hearts and Nugget Turquoise [SOLD]

This silver and turquoise belt buckle was hand-made and creative.  We were not able to find much information about the artists, but it is signed, F & D Charley, 8-25-75.  This is the Navajo way of spelling the surname of Charley.  So, we can at least deduce the origin Native Nation Tribe the artists came from and the year it was made.  

The Diné artists of the Navajo Nation began by forming a strong oval-shaped piece of sterling silver.  On the face, a frame of raised silver is stamped with alternating ovals and triangles like snow-capped mountains.  Rows of silver beaded spheres ornament the top and bottom in two groups of fourteen, while the sides hold smaller, five-sphered rows.  

In the buckle’s interior, silver appliqué hearts mirror one another and are alongside four raised feathers arched away from the central pair of turquoise gemstones like wings.  The stones were secured in silver bezels and framed with twisted silver wire dazzling the eye and accentuating their natural shapes.  The turquoise are each enthralling hues of rich blue-green and sport dark, natural matrices. 

Condition: This belt buckle is in good condition. 

Provenance: This Belt Buckle with Silver Appliqué Hearts and Nugget Turquoise is from an estate in eastern Washington

Recommended Reading: Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths by John Adair

TAGS: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Belts and Buckles, Diné of the Navajo Nation