Dig It - 12/22/22

Howdy Seekers!

Here is a little Christmas present for all the Fellow Seekers and Buckaroos out there. This is a round 1st Phase Concho Belt, the earliest type of Navajo-made silver belt. Yes indeed-dee, this here belt is the real McCoy - genuine for sure. There are 8 conchos, (now I know the new trend is to call concho, concha, it being correct Spanish and all, but I’m too old and ornery to change my ways Dagnabbit! – please excuse the colorful language). As I was sayin’, all the conchos made with just a hammer, chisel, punch and file. This belt was made at the very beginning of Navajo silver smithing, between 1870 to 1880. With limited tools, this smith made a beautiful masterpiece, and he must have been one of the very first Navajo silversmiths. This belt also has the unusual feature of Provenance, it came from the Granddaughter of the first governor of the Arizona Territory, and it was originally collected by him. I would like to thank the dealers who provided this information, thank you, thank you, you know who you are!

Well Fellow Seekers, I will leave you with this, a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Very Bright Future in the New Year.