@Ziacat, taking into account your chosen username, I believe this Aaron Anderson buckle is right up your alley. 
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Well now. That’s pretty cool! And it would go nicely with my Robert Yellowhorse Zia ring 
The shop I plan to visit in Bluff in a few weeks has quite a few of his items (I’ve been perusing their site so I can be ready 
).
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You might recall the beautiful concho buckle below that Aaron (a.k.a. @ravenscry) posted earlier in this thread. When I first saw it, I immediately fell in love with its chiseled, low relief, center medallion, tasteful stamp work, hand-punched holes, near-round shape, and even its fractured stone that adds to its “been there, done that” character. Because of Aaron’s gracious nature, he cheerfully gave up this buckle from his collection along with a lone, vintage spacer. Without Aaron’s keen eye and acquiring this piece, it would most likely be riding the trail with another collector. Thank you, Aaron!!! 
When the buckle and spacer arrived, I knew they somehow had to stay together and their beauty deserved to be enhanced with some traditional leather work.
First up was making a leather backing for the concho. The backing required a tight tolerance due to the bar being soldered close to the edge of the concho…
Afterwards, a leather attachment piece needed to be thin enough to allow the belt to pass between the backing and the already low clearance of the bar. After much scraping, sanding, and cursing, I finally had the correct thickness…
Next up, a leather backing for the spacer, which was challenging due to its irregular shape.
I wanted the spacer to have a purpose, so I decided to attach it to a keeper, but to do so, it required some good old fashion ingenuity. First, a slot was cut to allow the copper strip to recess into the leather. The spacer was then sewn to the keeper at both ends of the copper strip. To prevent the spacer from moving, I flattened a stiff picture hanging hook, cut it to length, filed the ends smooth, and gave it a bath in aging solution. After gently lifting the copper strip through the cut out, the metal strip was slid underneath and the copper strip was tapped down tight.
Finally, all raw edges of the belt and components were finished by hand…
After a few days of work and TLC, it all came together and gave the concho and spacer a worthy platform for many more years of service.
Navajo, 3 5/8" x 3 1/4", 75 grams, possibly ingot silver, Blue Gem? (educated guess), ca.1930s-1940s
Thanks for reading and many thanks, again, to Aaron for releasing a couple of his treasures from the herd! 
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Really nice, Tom! (20 characters)
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This belt really came together, Tom. Your idea to utilize the spacer as adornment for the keeper made me smile, and it really sets this one apart.
Your leather work is exceptional, and due to your craftsmanship, these two pieces of Navajo silver make for a very unique, eye catching piece! It’s truly breathtaking!
I applaud your ingenuity and execution, 
and honestly feel that these pieces couldn’t have landed in better hands. Wear them well, Tom.
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You did a phenomenal job with this buckle & spacer! 
. I thoroughly enjoyed following your step-by-step problem solving skills on that spacer. The end result is a great looking belt. Kudos.
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So when you make your belt making side business official, let us know, and we could probably keep you very busy
Seriously, it looks amazing. Using the spacer as a keeper was genius.
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Agree, I have a few projects for @TAH. The new belt looks great Tom, congratulations! What a cool set of conchos!
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Personally, I don’t wear belts or buckles. This one has me rethinking. Outstanding work with a handsome results.
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Thank you for the kind words, everyone, and to the unknown Navajos who created these little works of art. It’s easy to find inspiration when you have beautiful pieces to work with.
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@TAH How Fabulous! 20 characters
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This afternoon I found myself reading through posts here and then perusing eBay for various items, and stumbled across this buckle set. Is this a rare style of buckle and would it normally have pieces (conchos/butterflies) to accompany it or would this stand alone? I could definitely see this with a skirt or dress, but not pants. Thanks!
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Hey @BlytheEcho, I’ve seen buckles similar to this on “link” concho belts, with no leather, as the conchos, spacers, and buckle halves are linked in a similar fashion to how these mate, to form the entire belt.
This would make a killer buckle coupled with a nice piece of Crazy Horse leather, and (I feel) would be exceptionally classy when worn with a dress or skirt, as you mention.
This particular buckle looks to have some age to it, and I find it interesting that the stampwork is different on each half. The repoussé elements even vary in size and shape. But I think both of those attributes make for a unique piece. I’m also fond of the smooth bezels and color variation in the stones.
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@Ravenscry I didn’t look closely enough to realize the stamping was different on each piece. I can’t decide if I like that or not 
I understand about the link style belts, but do the bars on the back suggest a leather belt strap rather than a link belt?
Thank you for your insight!
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They do to me. If these were link belt components, one would think the clasp and hoop would be repeated on either end of the halves. The solid bar that these present with would allow for far too much vertical movement of the mating components, if configured as a link belt. It doesn’t appear that the bars were added later, either. At least, I can’t see evidence that either end had a different attachment point.
I know you’re not seeking personal opinions, but I think this makes for a unique set. At 4 3/4" wide, it’s definitely sizeable. If these were mirror images of eachother, to me, it would be a bit too perfect. The diferences between the two halves exude a wonderful, handmade quality, something I admire and look for. But don’t listen to me, I can’t pull off a dress or a skirt.
If I were you, I’d request @TAH’s opinion, thoughts, and insight.
Keep us posted on what you decide!
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Thank you, Blythe!
As for the two-piece buckle, it has a lot going for it! Tasteful stamp and repoussé work, great patina, beautiful stones, and possibly some age. I agree with Aaron, the high wall, fold over bezels are particularly attractive. The different stamp work doesn’t bother me either because the placement is the same on each piece and the symmetry of the stones and repoussé is the focal point.
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@TAH and @Ravenscry thank you both for your thoughts and insight. You are both swaying me to consider actually purchasing this set.
If I do, I need to just breakdown and invest in the leather myself, as I’ve given up on a custom belt maker. Apparently the Ranger belt is super complicated to make. 
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And now for something completely different
A little while back, I bought this Tom Bahe (Navajo, 1924-2006?) overlay belt buckle showing a howling wolf amidst some trees. Mr Bahe is known for having produced a series of wildlife-themed buckles – for example, another Bahe design, similarly stylized and with a woodland background, features an elk. He also did several very naturalistic pieces in relief: these include a mountain lion, a cowboy on a horse, and a rodeo rider on a bucking bull. All his buckles are oval and fashioned out of sterling silver. They go from large to very large and are pretty hefty!
It seems that each piece Tom Bahe produced in the “wolf” series was similar but not identical to the others. Consider my buckle (above left) and a similar one that I found online (right). Mine has a wide oval “frame” with a narrow mock twisted rope outside it, and the wolf’s jaws and feet extend just outside the frame. The ground itself isn’t visible, just the trees. The other buckle has a wider mock twisted rope frame and the ground is visible, with little plants and the overlay background used to suggest either small mounds or water (or both!). Hatch marks are used to indicate fur overall, but my belt buckle has a line for the entire rear haunch, whereas the line of the other haunch is more naturalistically suggested with hatch marks.
I don’t know if these two styles were made concurrently or if one is newer. Unfortunately it’s really difficult to find out much about Mr. Bahe and his work. I did find a short bio on indianvillage.com which gives his birth/death dates as 1924-2006 (which is what Bille Hougart says), and I also did some research on Ancestry that confirmed those dates. Other sites say he passed away in 2009, but I suspect that’s flat-out wrong.
Next I’ll have to find (or commission) a belt with snap attachment that will allow me to swap this in. That said, this buckle also came with a modification that can make it function as a (VERY massive) pendant! So in a pinch I can enjoy wearing it in the meantime while I figure out the belt part.
I’ll add that I was drawn to this design because I liked the blissfully happy expression on the buckle-wolf’s face. I’ve heard wolves howling in the wilderness of northern Ontario, and it’s the most amazing sound. Wolves are gorgeous creatures!
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Both are very nice, but honestly, I like your buckle better with the wide area of unstamped silver allowing the center design to stand out.
Really good looking. Thanks for posting it!
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Beautiful buckle @chamekke! Personally, I much prefer yours over the similar example you found, the rope border on which distracts the eye and pulls attention from the wolf, I feel. Which leads me to the rendering of this majestic animal on your buckle. It’s neck and head are more refined, and I like the subdued rope border. I agree with @TAH, the broad unstamped border really sets of the focal point! My favorite element of yours is how the inner border is offset around the wolf’s snout and mouth, this really adds a beautiful touch!
Thank you for sharing!
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