Navajo - Diné Sterling Silver Concha/Concho Belt [SOLD]

This Navajo - Diné Sterling Silver Concha/Concho Belt consists of 8 oval Conchas/Conchos, 9 rectangular butterflies, and an oval buckle all strung on a black leather belt that is ¾-inch wide.  Each Concha/Concho is domed with a raised diamond shape at the center and stamping around the perimeter and with scalloped edges with stamping.  Each butterfly has repoussé rays radiating out from a raised center oval that is surrounded by minute stamping.  The buckle is similar in design to the Conchas/Conchos but slightly larger and with slightly different stamping.

The Concha/Concho Belt is an extraordinary one in that each Concha/Concho was beautifully designed and each features designs different from most Conchas/Conchos of the period.  This one is more elegant than others, is smaller in scale and lighter in weight, all of which add up to a desirable Concha/Concho Belt.  It is not stamped with the name of the maker.  It is estimated to date to the 1960s.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: from a family collection in Santa Fe which has had it for decades.

Recommended Reading: FINE INDIAN JEWELRY OF THE SOUTHWEST: The Millicent Rogers Museum Collection by Shelby Tisdale, Ph.D.