IMPERIAL PORCELAIN FACTORY Alexandrinsky Turquoise Service Plate

Navajo needlepoint concho belt. Signed LMB, marked sterling. 11 conchos total. Exceptional design on each concho, featuring floral style center with complementary scalloped silverwork and final layer of turquoise framing concho. Old Pawn. Acquired from a Navajo trader. PERIOD: After 1950 ORIGIN: Navajo, Southwest SIZE: Total Belt Length 62 1/2" Leather; conchos 2 1/4"D The word “concho” sometimes spelled “concha”, comes from the Spanish word meaning shell. Some of the first “conchos” were made of melted silver dollars and resembled a shell. Concho belts reportedly began appearing in Navajo country in the late 1860s. Other Native Americans including Zuni and Hopi also made traditional concho belts before long. Concho belts can cost into the thousands of dollars depending upon the craftsmanship, amount of silver, rarity of turquoise and stones used. Belts in the upper end of the price scales are usually made before the turn of the century. Buyers should deal with reputable dealers as many fakes and look-a-likes exist. A well-made belt with age to it will fetch a bigger premium and hold its value better. The earliest concho belts are now referred to as “First Phase” belts. This style of belt was made before Native silversmith had learned much about soldering. The conchos were hammered out from melted coins, cut, and filed into shape, engraved and a diamond shape slot was cut out of the middle of the concho, with a bar left across the center of the diamond shaped slot for the leather loop. Conchos that required no soldering are generally thought to be made from 1860-1880. Second phase conchos were done 1890-1900s in which silversmith began to solder. Third phase conchos is when you start to see the “butterfly” or “bow” appear between conchos and the use of turquoise as an adornment. A butterfly (bow) is a smaller concho in between bigger conchos. A belt with butterflies and sometimes turquoise would be from the early 1900s – 1930s. The timelines may slightly differentiate depending upon who you ask. Natives first had concho belts for personal use only, but around the turn of the last century, tourist demand had kicked in and a new outlet emerged. belts & buckles jewelry silver belts conchos navajo needlepoint southwest turquoise...

Carved ivory bighorns with Blue Kingman Mine turquoise. Wonderful patina. Original leather; nine conchos total. Signed A.J.M. PERIOD: After 1950 ORIGIN: Navajo, Southwest SIZE: Total belt length 56"; buckle 3 1/2" x 5"; conchos 3" x 4" The word “concho” sometimes spelled “concha”, comes from the Spanish word meaning shell. Some of the first “conchos” were made of melted silver dollars and resembled a shell. Concho belts reportedly began appearing in Navajo country in the late 1860s. Other Native Americans including Zuni and Hopi also made traditional concho belts before long. Concho belts can cost into the thousands of dollars depending upon the craftsmanship, amount of silver, rarity of turquoise and stones used. Belts in the upper end of the price scales are usually made before the turn of the century. Buyers should deal with reputable dealers as many fakes and look-a-likes exist. A well-made belt with age to it will fetch a bigger premium and hold its value better. The earliest concho belts are now referred to as “First Phase” belts. This style of belt was made before Native silversmith had learned much about soldering. The conchos were hammered out from melted coins, cut, and filed into shape, engraved and a diamond shape slot was cut out of the middle of the concho, with a bar left across the center of the diamond shaped slot for the leather loop. Conchos that required no soldering are generally thought to be made from 1860-1880. Second phase conchos were done 1890-1900s in which silversmith began to solder. Third phase conchos is when you start to see the “butterfly” or “bow” appear between conchos and the use of turquoise as an adornment. A butterfly (bow) is a smaller concho in between bigger conchos. A belt with butterflies...

Navajo Kingman turquoise and bear claw buckle with small nugget of red coral. Stones and claw set in sterling silver surrounded by leaves, scrolls and beads....

Armand American Horse nickel silver and turquoise jewelry box. Includes moon face motif on lid and hand stamped detail along sides. Stamped on bottom with artist hallmark. Three genu...

This one of a kind turquoise faience flying scarab encircles your wrist with its silver wings . Amulets in the shape of scarab beetles were used in Egypt ...

Waterman Gold Plated Fountain Pen. The Waterman Expert fountain pen has a gloss lacquer finish with 23 karat gold plated trim. The pen has a cigar-shaped barrel, a beveled button cap...

This large 1860's Austro-Hungarian antique cross pendant is set with many turquoise and garnet gemstones. The four cabochon cut garnet stones on front of the cross are all set in rai...

Stunning four piece gold bracelet, ring, bolo and buckle set made by Robert and Burnice Leekya. Navajo four-piece set: bracelet, ring, bolo, and buckle. 14K gold overlay and turquoise nuggets. Signed "RBL". From the Sleeping Beauty Mine. Zuni husband and wife Robert and Bernice Leekya are known for their bold turquoise nugget jewelry. They have been making unique pieces since 1953. Robert was taught by his father, a master Zuni jeweler Leekya Deyuse...

A necessity during the Victorian Era, hat pins not only balanced precarious hats atop piles of hair but also moonlighted as weapons against overzealous gentlemen. Though teetering ha...

This reproduction of Bernini's Barcaccia, located near the Spanish steps in Rome, was made by Herend exclusively for the Serra shop, using a sterling silver model that Serra had created (with the help of the artist Foscolo Benedetti), and had then supplied to Herend. The director of the prestigious Hungarian manufacture, a great lover of Italian history and art, was so enthusiastic about the model that he proposed making it an elegant and unique centerpiece, exclusive for Serra, which can be decorated with all the famous Herend decorations. Here we see the "Victoria" decoration, made at the end of the 19th century for Queen Victoria, and still used by the English royal house. Pope Urban VIII commissioned Pietro Bernini in 1623 to build the fountain as part of a prior Papal project to erect a fountain in every major piazza in Rome. The fountain was completed between 1627 and 1629 by Pietro possibly along with the help of his son Gian Lorenzo Bernini, especially after his father's death on August 29, 1629. The sculptural fountain is made into the shape of a half-sunken ship...