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Turquoise and Silver Concha Belt image 1
Turquoise and Silver Concha Belt image 2
Lot 8462

Turquoise and Silver Concha Belt

4 December 2005, 11:00 PST
Los Angeles

Sold for US$2,115 inc. premium

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Turquoise and Silver Concha Belt

New Mexico
By Juliana Williams Begay

A well-known silversmith, descended from several generations of South western artisans, Juliana Williams Begay works in the classic Navajo tradition. The Navajos originally adopted the design of the concha belt from the Plains Indians, then altered the shape and embellishments to suit their preference for Hispanic design and it was typically worn underneath a blanket thrown over their attire. Concha meaning “shell” in Spanish, refers to the style of setting round, oval, square or rectangular pieces of silver threaded in multiples on a leather strap and worn as a belt. This richly ornamented concha belt with a buckle, nine circular ornaments and ten bow-shaped ornaments (known as butterflies), each set in a radiating design with pear-shaped bright blue cabochons of high-quality New Mexican turquoise with brown veining, with monogram signature. Length approximately 36 inches.

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