Navajo Fred Harvey Silver Concho Link Belt 80.5 Gms Vintage Tucson Estate

From an El Encanto Historic Neighborhood estate here in Tucson and gifted by me to my mother almost forty years ago is this vintage Navajo ingot silver link style concho belt, construction features fully indicative of an artisan making about 1940 or so. Twelve (12) scalloped and domed conchas are connected by an equal number of repousse links (functioning like the butterflies on a traditional leather mounted belt) - a classic "Indian detour" version of the iconic Southwestern fashion accessory.

One somewhat more elaborately ornamented concha serves as the buckle, with en suite old style stamp work tying everything together nicely. The style fits well within a broader framework of so called Fred Harvey adornment, yet this particular beauty shows good evidence of its ingot origins - and for those with less experience I will guarantee the metal to be of sterling or coin fineness. There was a time when you could pretty much hope for something like this in every local estate tag sale - just so you know, we have been beyond those days for awhile now. Weight is very good for the form at about 80.5 total grams on my portable digital scale.

Condition is quite fine though not absolutely pristine perfect with an aura of age to the silver surfaces as seen in the pics. At some point in the long ago the loop at one end of the belt failed and was quaintly replaced by a demonstrably more sturdy version - the belt then continuing just so. All other typical and expected signs of previous service simply substantiate a genuine history.

A look at the pics should give a good idea of appearance and condition - a really nice version of this belt style. Size is about 26 1/4 in.

Long, so for a smaller waist. The buckle concha is about 1 17/32 in. Horizontal including the attached link fitting 1 13/32 in. For just the scalloped oval and 1 1/16 in.

Each of the other conches is about 1 9/16 in. Horizontal including the link fittings on each end 1 11/32 in. For just the scalloped oval and 1 3/32 in. The repousse links are each about 27/32 in. Horizontal not counting the attaching loops.

If you are partial to earlier 20th Century Southwestern silver jewelry and especially Fred Harvey related charmers with the "look", or simply wish a single immediate improvement to the ambiance of each day, this will have great meaning for you. THIS IS LISTED AS U. The item "NAVAJO FRED HARVEY SILVER CONCHO LINK BELT 80.5 GMS VINTAGE TUCSON ESTATE" is in sale since Thursday, January 10, 2019. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Ethnic, Regional & Tribal\Native American\Other Native American Jewelry". The seller is "pooterpee" and is located in GREAT SOUTHWEST.

This item can be shipped to United States.

Metal: Sterling or Coin Silver
Jewelry Type: Concho Belt
Tribal Affiliation: Navajo