Monthly Archives: December 2018

Heavy Navajo Natural Kingman Mine Turquoise. Traditional Cluster Style Concho Belt. Attributed to Frank Guerro – Navajo. 8 Conchos + 1 Belt Buckle. 3.05″ X 2.1″. Black Leather Belt is 42″ and is set up now for a 33″ – 43 waist. It is 1.65 wide. It may be modified to accomodate a smaller waist of down to 31 (without removing any conchos) by adding an additional hole. 22+Troy ounces Kingman Turquoise and Metal Weight. Natural Kingman Mine Cluster Navajo Sterling Silver Concho Belt. This Navajo Sterling Silver Concho Belt has some very large and dramatic natural Kingman Mine Turquoise stones! The Sterling Silver base has lots of patina to contrast with the Kingman Turquoise and Sterling Silver raindrop accents. The Concho Belt Buckle is not stamped “Sterling”, but it is guaranteed to be Sterling Silver and authentic. Based on the methods of construction, design, and particular raindrop configuration, it is most likely the work of Navajo artist Frank Guerro. Frank became active in the 1970’s and lived in Puerticito, New Mexico. The lack of his Hallmark is consistent with my estimate that this was made by him in the early 1970’s. It was at that time that the Native Jewelry market began to grow quickly and when most artists began to use a personal hallmark stamp. These conchas are thick, heavy, and very well worked with custom smooth bezels that were created individually for each large and spectacular natural Kingman Turquoise cabochon. It has been the benificiary of careful ownership and has no significant issues to report. A professional inspection and cleaning was all it needed when it came to me. With a lot of help from my jeweler, it was determined that the Kingman Mine Turquoise Stones are Natural and untreated. And, that they range in size from about 4-5 Carats for the few very Smaller ones, 7-8 Carats for the Mediums, 20-25 Carats for the Larger, and there are several very Large that are about 25-30 Carats. The Conchos and the Copper Backstaps were all just inspected and also cleaned by him. I’ve actually counted all of the Kingman Turquoise Cabochons and found that there are only 160 of them. The least count (with the largest stones) is the buckle with 15. Seven of the conchos have 18 stones each, and one concho has 19 stones. Obviously the Turquoise takes up most of the “real estate” on the face of the Conchos. The less stones for the same number of square inches of surface the better! These are not the relatively tiny and processed stones that we are all used to seeing. These impressivly sized Natural Kingman Mine Turquoise stones have personality and are a real pleasure to look at and study! The wide and comfortable (because of the weight of the Conchos) Black Leather Belt is soft, supple, and without any stretching or distortion. I’m guessing that it is a recent upgrade and not 40+ years old. Although in its treated form, Kingman Turquoise is seen in a lot of contemporary Native jewelry, many people do not know that the Mohave County area in Nothern Arizona has been mined since at least 500AD. Chemical analyis matched specimens from that period to Turquoise specimens found in Mexico that had presumably been used in trade. It is one of the oldest Turquiose Mining sites in North America. Gregory Schaff in American Indian Jewelry II; A-L please see below, also notes that in the 1970’s and in 2011, two small pockets of very rare black matrix turqoise were discovered. He also quotes mine owner Marty Colbaugh who describes , … The grey ore, where the black matrix, pyrite matrix occures, and the traditional “Arizona Blue” comes from. I had never thought about it before, but as a Tucsonan, I live between Bisbee Blue and Arizona Blue. The the skill demonstrated in both the design and construction is quite good. I think you will agree that it is certainly the impressive natural Kingman Mine stones that take the stage on this one! Please, take a good look at the pictures and magnified photographs to see if it is the one for you. If so, I’d love to trade with you today. I will pack this carefully for you so that the conchos do not rub up against each other in transit and it will get to you in the same condition that you see in the pictures. I thank You and look forward to sharing a good experience! Recomended Reference Books – This artist is referenced if there is a page # shown below. “AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY I” – Gregory Schaaf – page. “AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY II: A-L” – Gregory Schaaf- page 321. “HALLMARKS OF THE SOUTHWEST”- Barton Wright – page 72. “THE LITTLE BOOK OF SOUTHWESTERN SILVER” – Billie Hougart – page 138. “ZUNI JEWELRY” – Theda and Michael Bassman ZUNI THE ART AND THE. PEOPLE VOLUMES 1-3 – Barbara & Ed Bell- Volume. “INDIAN SILVERWORK OF THE SOUTHWEST, ILLUSTRATED – VOLUME 1″. The item “XL Heavy 24+ozt Navajo CONCHO BELT buckle Gem Kingman Stones & Sterling Silver” is in sale since Saturday, October 14, 2017. This item is in the category “Jewelry & Watches\Ethnic, Regional & Tribal\Native American\Other Native American Jewelry”. The seller is “kevinshops!” and is located in Tucson, Arizona. This item can be shipped to United States.

• Signed?: Unsigned
• Material: Leather
• Metal Purity: .925, Sterling
• Artisan: att. Frank Guerro
• Main Stone: Turquoise
• Metal: Sterling Silver
• Jewelry Type: Concho Belt
• Tribal Affiliation: Navajo