PROVENANCE:

This artistically created concho style belt came through my store by a Los Alamos, NM. based resident who I found through conversation, had some phenomenal parents‍ ‍& who happened to bring in what was left from her mother’s collection who owned the pieces I purchased. So to know a little about them, read below:

Her father was the well known ‘RALPH PARDINGTON’ was the Head of the Three Dimensional Art Department at the Institute of American Indian Arts (I.A.I.A.) in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In addition to teaching Ceramics at I.A.I.A., he supervised instruction in Jewelry, Ceramics, Native Crafts, Sculpture, Weaving, and Foundry Sculpture. He retired after 28 years. He was a brilliant artist whose ceramic wares and sculptures were often recognized as outstanding in regional, national, and international exhibitions.

Her mother, ‘JOYCE PARDINGTON” was a devoted stay-at-home mom who—without reducing her to that single role—was also a remarkable artisan. She specialized in “Fiber Art”, creating pieces of such quality and resonance, that some were hung in the World Trade Center. Tragically, those works were destroyed on that horrific day, a profound loss both personally and culturally.

Like her husband, Joyce was also very much connected in our thriving Native American art scene here in Santa Fe, where she purchased & wore some of the best. This belt was apart of Joyce’s collection & to see some of the other items I have listed, you can see a few in this same category & also if you check under the “necklace” category, you’ll find a sterling Grape Necklace/Earring Set!

THE BELT:

I just couldn’t resist this fun belt! It’s entirely designed with fluffy sterling Sheep (or Lambs) where you have 1 larger size buckle (still on the small side) & 10 smaller sheep that are all uniform in size. They are all secured on a skinny 1/2” red leather belt.

This can be worn either over a shirt or I do believe this will fit through the belt loops of a pair of jeans. To know if this will fit through the pant loops, you want to measure the loop of your pants to be sure they have at least a 1-3/8” opening (Or 1.50”) since the 10 are 1-3/8” tall.

Where the holes on the belt are punched, the belt can be presently worn from a 29" waist to a 30.25" waist. There is enough excess left where you can punch more holes if needed. One thing to remember though, is the smaller the waist, the closer the sheep will sit together & the bigger, the further the sheep will sit from one to the other. A lot of times, buyers adore the design, but if the belt itself is too small or too big, they slide the design on a leather belt of their choice.

I personally like this type of belt where you put the hook in & then tuck the excess of the belt to where it runs parallel to the belt, up under it along the waist, as opposed to 'buckle' styles, where the excess is just hanging there with no place to go, but hanging down!

This is a beautifully designed, artisan-made belt that’s sure to bring a smile to your face every time you wear it!

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ARTIST: RP (?)

CIRCA MADE: 1990'S (Purchased in Santa Fe)

GENDER: Unisex

METAL: Sterling (Acid Tested 2x’s)

FINISH: Contemporary

WEIGHT: 3.1 OUNCES **90 GRAMS

AMOUNT OF SHEEP: 10 plus 1 Buckle

EACH 10 SHEEP MEASUREMENT: 1-1/8" wide x 1-3/8" Tall

BUCKLE: 1-3/8” Wide x 1-3/4” Tall

BELT: 1/2" Wide

BELT MATERIAL/COLOR: Leather/Red

1st BELT HOLE AT: 29" (Measured from the buckle tip) LAST HOLE: 30.25"

TOTAL BELT LENGTH: 38" (From the tip on buckle to the end of the leather belt)

HALLMARK: “RP” on all the sheep except the buckle

CONDITION: This is NOT new but has been very well kept & is in perfect wearable condition! There are no dents in the sterling. The belt itself is in great condition.

Comes Boxed

PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:
I do not consider myself a 'professional photographer" but I do try my hardest to give you photos that are 'realistic" in color. Please realize that all monitors are different, so the materials can look brighter (or duller) from one computer to the next.

To provide you with close up photos providing you with all the fine detail, pictures tend to make the item look GIGANTIC & everything is more magnified than in actuality. .So to get an accurate idea of how big this is, please look at the mannequin photos or you can pull out a tape measure or ruler & compare to my given measurements listed above.