Zuni Pueblo Four Piece Multi Stone Ranger Belt and Buckle Set [SOLD]

The original ranger buckle sets were used by the Texas Rangers so the holsters carrying their six-shooters would hang correctly. The sliders held the belt in place and the tip attached securely so as to prevent the weight of the guns from pulling down the belt.  Similarly designed ranger buckle sets (not for holding six shooters) became a popular item for Zuni artists to make in the middle of the twentieth century as they began creating different products to sell to the tourists visiting the Southwest. Often during this period, the lapidary work was done by Zuni artists and then subsequently set into silverwork by Navajo silversmiths. This was a common practice at Zuni, with Navajo artists living and working at Zuni, hired by the traders to prepare elegant silver settings for ornate Zuni stonework.

This multi-stone ranger set features finely cut and shaped turquoise, jet, spondylus and white shell. The stones are set in a mosaic style, stone-to-stone with even precision. The set includes a buckle, two sliding holders and a tip. All of the stones have been set in well-crafted sterling silver. The set was made during the early twentieth century.

The ranger set is currently attached to a brown leather belt for waist sizes from 32 to 35 inches.  The ranger set is removable and may be attached to a belt of any style, size and color desired.

Condition: this Zuni Pueblo Four Piece Multi Stone Ranger Belt and Buckle Set is in excellent condition

Provenance: from a client in Illinois who purchased the ranger set from Santa Fe dealer Marti Struever in 1998.

Recommended Reading: The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths by John Adair; Zuni Jewelry by Theda Bassman

Relative Links:  Belts and Buckles, Zuni Pueblo, Southwest Jewelry