Adobe Gallery Blog

Joe Herrera Quintana was a very private person and, as a result, very little is known about his personal life, but he spent his adult life making jewelry for a number of stores and dealers. He worked for Gan's, Packard's and Simpson's stores in Santa Fe, and for Maisel's and The Covered Wagon in Old Town Albuquerque. Finally, he worked for Irma Bailey at Irma's Indian Arts & Pawn in Albuquerque from 1966 until she closed the shop in 1971. He then returned to Cochiti Pueblo where he continued making jewelry and drums and continued supplying Irma Bailey with jewelry. After he passed away, Bailey had a collection of over 600 items of Quintana's jewelry and silver works. In 2004, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture in Santa Fe exhibited a large amount of this collection.

This belt contains 9 oval sterling silver conchas, each with a turquoise nugget at its center. A beautiful sterling silver buckle with rays spreading outward from the sides and stamped designs on the up and down ends. A turquoise stone sits in the middle of the buckle. The buckle is stamped JHQUINTANA COCHITI NM.

The belt fits waist sizes from 28 to 30, obviously designed for a petit person. Additional holes could be punched in the leather to expand the size to a maximum of 32 inches.

Condition: very good condition
Provenance: from the personal collection of Margaret Gutierrez, Santa Clara Pueblo
Recommended Reading: Joe H. Quintana Master in Metal: Selections from the Irma Bailey Collection, Museum of Indian Arts & Culture

Subject: Cochiti Pueblo Silver and Turquoise Concha Belt
Artist: Joe H. Quintana (1915-1991)
Category: Belts and Buckles
Origin: Cochiti Pueblo
Medium: sterling silver, turquoise, leather
Size: 2-3/8" x 1-7/8" each concha; 3" x 2" buckle
Item # C3371B