BELT PROVENANCE:

This was brought into my Santa Fe store by a lady who purchased this from a Santa Fe gallery back in the late 70's .It had been sitting in her house for many a year & never really wore it much, so she thought someone else would get more use out of it.

THE ARTIST:

It's made by New Mexico's own "FRANK VALDEZ" who is especially known for his 'highly sought out’ concho belts..(but are not limited to) Like many native born New Mexicans, Frank has both Spanish & Puebloan ancestry ,along with having small drops of European blood..He is a proud Taos New Mexican native who lives & breathes the culture that exists here, so you'll find that everything he makes, always seems to have a real New Mexico vibe attached to it. His jewelry is apart of a permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museum.

THE CONCHO BELT:

In comparison to many other concho belts out there,I would call this one on the smaller side..It offers a gorgeous southwestern aesthetic & is made with heavy gauge sterling, where each of the oval conchos & the butterfly's are all 'free hand' cut without the use of a stencil.. There are 7 domed oval conchos & 8 butterfly conchos that have a repeated design throughout & slide through the 1/2" black leather belt. All the conchos are backed by leather.. The only thing that's different is the size & design of the buckle, which is also designed where the belt is woven through the slits to wear.(As opposed to the buckle needing holes in the leather to secure)

If you put this through belt loops,just be aware that the tallest concho has to go through the loops,so pay attention to the concho measurements in the info below to determine if your pants have loops that big..You can also wear this outside a shirt(As shown in photo 2)

This is a unisex belt that both man or woman can wear.