Leather and Sterling Silver Concho Belt by Vincent Platero

The basic form of the Concho was derived from hair ornaments of the Southern Plains tribes, called hair plates. These were usually round, undecorated, and smooth-edged, strung vertically on red trade cloth, horse hair, or leather. Men would wear these stripes of adornment in heir hair, while women wore them as belts. Sometimes reaching six feet long, they were also made from German silver, copper, and brass.

Some of the first Conchos were made of melted silver dollars and resembled a shell, which in Spanish is called a "concha." Although a common assertion is that the Navajo borrowed the idea of Conchos from the Spaniards, the Concho belt was actually a blend of the Southern Plains designs and early Spanish/Mexican variations drawn from harness buckles and cast silver conchas with scalloped edges, used for spurs. Concho belts have become a long-standing Native American tradition, appearing as early as the late 1860s or early 1870s.

• Materials: Sterling Silver, Brown Leather
• Dimensions: Buckle is 3" wide, 1 7/8" high, Belt is 25 3/4" long, each concho is 2 1/4" wide and 1 1/2" high
• Hallmarks: VJP, Sterling