This very traditional Navajo concho belt was made by the late great & highly collectible Navajo artisan 'FRED GUERRO SR.' (1934-2020) Fred's work has always been high in demand, but especially since his death, buyers want to grab anything & everything this artist made. He is an artist who was creative & stayed very traditional when it came to creating Navajo jewelry.

The belt came from a serious Native American-Southwestern collector who purchased it for her mom quite awhile back & I feel honored to offer it to the public.

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THE CONCHO BELT:

The belt consists of 11 evenly matching in size & shape, heavy gauge sterling concho's.(With the addition of the buckle, since it's the same in design & size) Each concho has the same stamp work, all have a scalloped perimeter & all are backed by leather that is sandwiched between the back of the concho & the leather belt.

On the back of the buckle(See photo 10) the label says "Bisbee Mine closed in 1992",which I'm assuming the place who sold it,is what they are calling it. I may be wrong, but in all actuality, the turquoise looks to me to be more like Morenci Turquoise than Bisbee. I am basing that not necessarily on the pyrite that you see in the stones, but more on the color of the turquoise. (Bisbee BTW, also produce's pyrite & isn't just limited to Morenci) It's definitely Arizona turquoise, that I do know, regardless.. The cuts have maintained their blue color,which tells me the turquoise is a higher quality & is 'harder',(Which equates to quality) Each cut sits low in a high bezel.

The conchos have 2 copper backs & are threaded through a 1-1/4" black leather belt. Where the holes on the belt are punched, the belt can be worn from a 27-1/2" waist to a 35-1/2" waist. There is a little excess left where you can punch another hole or 2. But remember, the smaller the waist,the closer the conchos will sit together & the closer you get to the end by going all the way to the last hole,the further they'll be from one to the other. A lot of times, buyers adore the conchos,but if the belt itself is too small,they slide the conchos on a leather belt of their choice.

I personally like this type of concho belt where you put the hook in & then tuck the excess of the belt to where it runs parallel to the belt, up under it along the waist, as opposed to 'buckle' styles, where the excess is just hanging there with no place to go, but hanging down! (See belt on mannequin)

This can be worn by man or woman & would be a great belt to have to compliment either your vintage or newly made Native collection!