What kind of fool would be interested in a belt with no buckle!?..
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That’s not as foolish as a person who only purchases buckles with all of the conchos missing. 
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“Missing” has such a bad connotation, it’s more likely that they were used for settling a trading post debt. They could have also been stolen during raids, or left on the battlefield after a lengthy war. 
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Good point! I like where you’re going with this. From now on I’ll say I only rescue vintage Navajo buckles that have lost their conchos due to historic circumstances. 
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Obviously the piece found its perfect new caretaker.
Amazing story and love the Heritage trade approach to your restoration.
I think a lot about care, custody and control, of the responsibility of ownership and how conservation is such an important pice of that. It seems to me you have hit a home run on all fronts here. Congratulations, Aaron and Bravo!
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Thank you, @August, for your all too kind comment.
I am on board with every bit of this, and completely agree. For me, these pieces we all treasure aren’t simply things to wear or enjoy looking at, they’re extensions of the artist’s mind, from his heart and through his hands. And that deserves far more than simple storage. 
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But it’s so darn hard to for me to find the right time to wear a Northwest Coast mask…… hmmm
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@Ravenscry Just WOW. Thank you for sharing all the steps with photos and explaining everything. Including to all the follow-up comments and questions. I am so impressed. And now I have to go look for the photo of you wearing the belt in the other thread.
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I’m thrilled you enjoyed it Blythe, thank you for your kind words. It was just as much fun documenting everything for sharing as it was performing the work.
…I’ve yet to add that…
…but thanks to your push and a nudge from @TAH, I’ll get it posted this weekend.
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Aaron,
Friendly advice - since you usually stack your belts and considering the weight of that Spirit belt, ya better add suspenders so you don’t have a catastrophic wardrobe malfunction. 
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This just needs to be in this thread…
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While I don’t wear belts or conches, I do appreciate the craftsmanship in making them.
Just in case someone is looking for a nice ranger set. Here is a James Rogers buffalo hunt set on ebay.
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Beautiful buckle. This was designed by James’ fiancé Diane Ignacolo (now Provencio), originally a fashion designer from Montreal Quebec, She also designed his studio’s ‘Running Horses’ line. Diane took over James’ business when he passed, and still owns it today. Her style is very distinct from his, soft and lyrical.
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I knew there would be a back story on this set. Thank you @mmrogers for sharing it with us.
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Last month, I was searching for vintage Western belts on eBay and stumbled upon a “Python Western Cowboy Belt with Concho Buckle”. There was no mention of the buckle being “Navajo” or “Native American” in the title or description, but to my eyes, it was very likely Navajo made. I messaged the seller with some questions about dimensions and weight but did not receive a response all morning. Around noon, @TaraFawn75 messaged me asking if I had seen the listing, which was extremely thoughtful and appreciated! At that point, I messaged @Ravenscry for his opinion of the buckle. Aaron confirmed my thoughts and didn’t see any obvious red flags, so I went ahead and made the purchase for $170.
When the buckle arrived, it certainly lived up to my expectations, but there was one concern - the center bar was an unusual 1/2” from the back of the buckle. Being so deep, I knew the buckle would rock back and forth when worn on a belt of normal thickness. After discussing this issue with Aaron, he graciously offered his time and talent to modify the height of the center bar and rework the prong. Aaron also tested its silver purity, which resulted as coin.
Navajo, 4” x 2 3/4”, 76 grams, coin silver, ca.1910-1920
Here is the buckle before and after lowering the center bar.
The original prong was cut off square. Aaron and I decided it needed a little tapering for appearance’s sake and so it would lay better in between the fan groove.
@mmrogers was kind enough to share his technical expertise in his usual friendly way. All things considered, we came to the conclusion the buckle is most likely circa 1910-1920. I asked Mike for his consent to post his comments that I found extremely interesting and educational…
This is a really cool buckle! The corrugation work is really something. Would have been really tough to pull off requiring multiple sessions of working to corrugate the desired areas and then annealing (to keep from stress fracturing) and re-shaping flattening the piece as it took shape. We see that in the transfer marks on the back of the piece. The repair likely took place during this process as areas of stress fatigued. Would need to look at the piece under a loupe or microscope to confirm, but this doesn’t look like a cast down to me. I think what Tom has is likely an original work.
You can clearly see the way the male stamp used for corrugation was shaped with a file. I love this old stuff. Every piece tells a story about the way it was made, and the tools used to make it. You can tell the silversmith struggled to get this one across the finish line, persevered, and ended up with a beautiful piece of work!
Next up, the buckle needed a belt. The first belt I made is tapered on both ends behind the buckle, so the belt retains its full 1 1/2” width all the way around. Buckle opening is 1 1/8”.
The second belt is designed similar to a ranger belt. The billets are 3/4” wide, so the center bar is slightly exposed as seen on many buckles of old concho belts.
A big thank you to Tara for keeping an eye out for me, to Mike for graciously sharing his knowledge, and a special thanks to Aaron for his interest, time, patience, and the incredibly clean, professional job that looks as if the buckle was never modified!
Needless to say, this community is more than just turquoise talk, it’s a real gem. 
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Looks fantastic, Tom! The leatherwork is expert and flawless, as is Aaron’s revision work on the cross bar and tang. Incredible effort all around to fashion this piece of history into wearable art once again!
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That is truly beautiful! Kudos to all involved. What a treasure!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything with that corrugated fan like work, and I absolutely love it. I know you all love concho belts very much (and I understand why), but I actually prefer this belt. The focus on a beautiful buckle with the rich brown leather is more the esthetic that is my style.
Congratulations on finding and fixing this. And thank you for sharing the whole process! But now you have to show up at the Eiteljorg next year so I can see your belt in person 
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One more quick question; do you wear suits, and if so, do you ever wear your belts with them? I think this belt and buckle would look perfect with a suit.
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My response will be more of an echo to Tom, but I’d still prefer to provide my thoughts properly.
This is an outstanding example of early, hand worked silver, Tom. While we’ve seen and studied a handful that resemble yours, none come close to having similar impact. This is most prevalent in the execution and termination of the fans well beyond the edges of the buckle, which is such an awesome look, I feel.
The simple stamp work and the mis-strikes in their placement, the imperfect alignment of the fans and the opening, the very evident transfer from both the working surface and the tools, (
thanks again so much Mike for sharing your insightful thoughts!) and especially the repair work visible on the buckle’s reverse, all add up to a very special, highly unique piece. Your new buckle is the perfect example of what I desire most in a piece. The rough & rugged look, incredible patina, and beautiful story left behind by the silversmith for us to read make pieces like this exceptional, in my book. Just a thought, but this would be a exemplary of your preferences in the Imperfect Perfection thread. 
Your leatherwork is first class, as always, and the final presentation is just on another level!
It was an honor to be a part of this terrific, collaborative effort. Great eye @TaraFawn75! Thanks be to @mmrogers for providing an incredible viewpoint and for never failing to educate, and terrific job @TAH for acquiring a true piece of Navajo silversmithing history and for the world class leatherwork, that, as Mike so gracefully put it, allows this beautiful piece to be right where it belongs.
Congratulations again and I’m looking forward to seeing the scalloped edges at 12 and 6 o’clock worn flat in a week or so!
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