Hello! I’m brand new to this forum! Thank you for allowing me to share. I recently developed a passion for Native American, art and jewelry, and I am also a collector and a reseller. I recently purchased this belt in an online auction and would appreciate any help with identifying the artist. The buckle is signed.”EB”, but there is no sterling work. I would appreciate any help. Thank you!
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Very cool buckle. I would worry about no sterling mark. It looks like it is and they didn’t always mark it. You can always test it. It’s the inlay that has me looking hard. It looks like it was made from bone inlaid with turquoise and coral. Age wise I would guess early 70’s +/-
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This is an interesting piece, and while one could characterize it as ‘Native style’, it doesn’t necessarily look like Native work. Things that stand out are anomalies like machine cast leafs and flowers, the use of square wire where native silversmiths would normally use round or 1/2 round wire. Additionally, the spacing, layout, and mirrored symmetrical layout of the elements all speak to a smith with some practice and training, but with a distinct sense of Asian or Eurocentric aesthetics. The inlay is unusual as well, with the raised relief of the Bluejay and background material, which as @Islandmomma has pointed out, looks like a bone cabochon, all not features typically found in Native American work of this type.
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Thank you for your insight! The buckle did test as Silver. I have found that older pieces were sometime unmarked as Sterling. Thank you again!
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Thank you for your insight and expertise. Due to the varying information that I have received on this belt buckle, and knowing difficult it is to make a definite identification based on a photo, I decided to take it in to an established Native American trading store in Northern CA today to get their opinion. They identified it as definitely Navajo, approximately 1950s with coin silver, and possible jasper as the large stone.
Thank you again!
@Michellexyxw Really nice looking buckle. Curious, did the silver test as coin by the trading store? Also, the commercial swivel bar on the back didn’t become available until the late1960s.
“By the late 1960s however, the commercially made swivel bars start to pop up—but not very common yet. It was more into the mid-70s before the commercial made swivel back caught on with any number.” - Jim Olson, Western Trading Post
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Hi Michelle,
Not to be contrarian but are you sure they said “coin silver”? It doesn’t look like coin silver, nor does it fit the era for it. The reverse side especially looks like sheet silver. Anyway, like @TAH I’m interested to know if they performed a silver test. If they were winging it on the silver content, that would be a concern about their overall estimation.
Thanks for sharing your buckle here.
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My vote goes for Mike’s analysis. He has been at this a long time, has described and accurately dated many items on this forum correctly from a construction standpoint, and is damn good at it.
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Hello! I did a silver test and it came up as positive. I did not do a test specifically for coin silver. Dating to the 1970s is probably more accurate. The store had been selling Native American jewelry and art since the 1930s so I took her words as a confirmation, but now I’m a bit confused as you are experts as well.
Thank you for all of your great comments! 
The only possibility I found online for the hallmark “EB” is Edward Becenti, Navajo.
Here is a necklace by Edward with somewhat similar design elements and techniques (i.e. inlay, applied leaves, and almost squared-off wire swirls. Not saying it’s an exact match, but it might be a place to do a little research.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/356510001236
Good luck and enjoy your buckle. It’s very pretty. 
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No one here claims to be an “expert”. Just folks that combined probably have a couple hundred years handling their particular NA jewelry in addition to those that have been active in the industry and have first hand experience with the silversmiths since the 60s and 70s. Not taking anything away from the shop you referred to, and although in business since the 30s, that does not necessarily have any bearing on the knowledge of the current owners.
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In other words, I have the utmost respect for the high level of knowledge that you all have. I just thought to also physically take the buckle in to a NA shop so they can see it iin person and hopefully be able to provide further insight.
I am learning from this discussion, and it is a very fascinating world with great history. Thank you again!
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I agree with all the opinions you have gotten here so far: it is most likely from the 70’s, it has some elements that would be quite unusual for Native American made, may have been made by a non-Native craftsman, and it is highly likely to be sterling silver vs. coin silver. It’s clearly constructed of sheet and wire, which would have come from supply shops and been available in sterling silver, not coin. And it’s pretty presumptive to say it’s “definitely” Navajo.
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I apologize for expressing any doubt about your insight and feedback on the buckle.You are clearly well versed on the subject of NA and turquoise, and well respected by your peers. Thank you
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No apology necessary. It’s all in the learning curve. And as I have found out, to quote an old saying: most of us “don’t know what we don’t know” about many things, until we do.
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No worries. 50 or so years down the road from the time many of these items were made, with no actual paper trail/provenance, the best any of us can do is provide an eye level assessment based upon first hand knowledge of the styles, craft, materials and techniques involved.
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