b'By Jim and Bobbi Jeen Olson,WesternTradingPost.comT he word concho, sometimesThe timelines listed are general spelled concha, comes fromand may differ slightly depending the Spanish word meaningon who you ask. Natives first Come Check Out Our shell. Some of the first conchoshad concho belts for personal were made of melted silver dollarsuse only, but around the turn of and resembled a shellit isthe last century, tourist demand commonly thought this is howkicked in and a new outlet for the the name came about. In Spanish,belts emerged. This is when you the correct word is concha, withstarted seeing them produced in Full Feed and Tack Store an a at the end and is pronouncedlarger numbers and is also why a like an ah sound. However, mostbelt produced after 1900 is much people nowadays refer to theeasier to find than one from the Native American style belt as alate 1800s. concho belt, with an o.Today, a fine concho belt will for All of Your Needs Although it is commonly said thebe made of sterling silver (or Navajo (Dine) borrowed the ideabetter.999 silver and gold are from the Spaniards, the conchoalso known to be used). They are belt has become a long-standingoften embellished with turquoise Native tradition. Concho belts(or other gemstones) and are reportedly began appearing inusually mounted on a good WE GROW & SELLNavajo country in the late 1860sleather strap. At times, copper, or early 1870s. Other Nativenickel silver, or silver-plated Americans including the Zuni andoverlay is also used, but these Hopi also made traditional conchokinds of belts are usually thought belts before long. of as lower grade and the price should be reflective. The earliest concho belts are Alfalfa, Cow Hay, Bermuda, Rye Grass, Paca Verde, Teff and Straw now referred to as First Phase Another form of concho belt belts. This style of belt was madewhich appeared around mid-before Native silversmiths hadcentury was the link style learned much about soldering.concho belt. The link concho The conchos were hammeredbelts are connected by rings out from melted coins, cut andbetween the conchos and fasten filed into shape, engraved and awith a hook that can be attached 623-386-2988 20600 W. Beloat Rd. diamond shape slot was cut outat various places on the belt. No of the middle of the concho, withleather is used. a bar left across the center of Se habla espanol Buckeye, AZ 85326 the diamond-shaped slot for theToday, thousands of belts are leather belt to loop through. Theproduced annually by Natives first phase of conchos required noand non-Natives alike. Typically, soldering and is generally thoughtgenuine Native handmade of in terms of the years from thebelts are more sought after by baleshay.com late 1860s to the 1880s.collectors and discerning jewelry buyers. The belts are generally Next came, you guessed it, theconsidered unisex and can be Second Phase. In the secondworn by both men and women. phase of concho belt development, the silversmith had begun to solder. He now soldered a silver, or later copper, strap or bar across the back of a concho to runConcho belts can cost thousands of dollars depending upon the craftsmanship, the leather belt through (more often silver in those early years). This allowedamount of silver, and rarity of turquoise or gemstones used. A quick google for the entire face of the concho to be decorated and kept the leather belt on thesearch of concho belts for sale will turn up belts from about $100 to $30,000 backside of the concho. The second phase is generally thought of as being duringor so. Belts at the upper end of that range are usually ones made before the the years of the 1890s through the early 1900s. turn of the last century. As always, a buyer should deal with a reputable dealer as there are many look-a-likes out there. Craftsmanship is hard to fake and a In the last or Third Phase of concho belt development, you started to seewell-made belt deserves a premium, no matter when it was made. However, the butterfly appear between conchos and also the use of turquoise as ana well-made belt with some age to it will fetch an even bigger premiumthe adornment on the face of a concho. A butterfly is simply another smallerproblem is age is often faked. So know who you are dealing with when making concho in between the bigger conchos and its shape somewhat resembles thata purchase.of a butterfly (a bow shape). Copper for the strap across the back becomes more prevalent than a silver bar as you go further on in time also. A belt withA genuine concho belt is a treasure that can be handed down from generation butterflies (and sometimes turquoise) from the early 1900s through the 1930s isto generation. My best advice is to buy as good of quality as you can afford and generally thought of as early third phase and a belt from the 1940s through 70strade up if you get the chance. Traditionally, quality tends to appreciate (or at (or so) would often be referred to as vintage while anything newer would beleast hold) its value better. modern to contemporary. ArizonaRealCountry.com March 2021 57'