Navajo First Phase Concho Belt

ca. 1890 - 1900

Conchos Measure 3.25" x 4", Buckle 1.675" x 1.75", Leather 30.25" L x 3.25" W Brown with Brass Rivet

Hand Crafted from Hide Leather and Sterling Silver with Seven Oval Stamped Conchos and One Square Buckle

In Very Good Condition

The evolution of the concho belt in the Southwest progressed through distinct phases, each defined by technical and stylistic innovation. The First Phase style, attributed to the Navajo artisan known as Atsidi Chon (“Ugly Smith”), emerged in the late 1860s.  These earliest conchos were round discs of relatively light silver, hand-hammered from Mexican pesos. Lacking soldering techniques at the time, Navajo smiths devised a practical solution: diamond-shaped cutouts with a central bar through which the leather belt was laced. Decoration remained restrained—scalloped edges punctuated by small punched holes just inside the scallops.  Round in form, with diamond-shaped slots and scalloped borders, this First Phase design stands as a pure expression of the earliest stage of Navajo silversmithing.