Navajo Multi Stone Mosaic Inlay Concho Belt [SOLD]

Diné of the Navajo Nation artist Benjamin Piaso Jr. carefully cut multiple pieces of turquoise, lapis, and shell and set them in colorful mosaic conchos. This stylish belt consists of ten conchos and a center buckle placed on a black leather belt.

The concho or concha belt is an example of a foreign item adopted and adapted by the Navajo. It may have originated with the Mexican silver concha bridle or, more likely, from the German silver hair drops worn by Plains Indians. In either event, the Navajo made it an item of beauty for their own use and an item by which they could fashion their wealth in silver. There were no safe deposit boxes for storage, so carrying one's wealth was necessary. The concho belt eventually became a popular fashion item for jewelers to sell to tourists traveling in the Southwest and is now popular worldwide.

Benjamin Piaso Jr. (1964-) is from the To'hajiilee part of the Navajo Nation just west of Albuquerque. He is known for his mosaic work. This fashionable, colorful belt is signed B. Piaso Jr. by the artist with his hallmark.

Condition: the Navajo Multi Stone Mosaic Inlay Concho Belt is in excellent condition.

Provenance: from a private New Mexican collection

Reference: Bille Hougart Southwestern Silver, Silversmiths, Designer, Guilds and Traders

TAGS: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Navajo Nation, Benjamin Piaso, Jr.