Those tell stories of a life well lived.
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For a minute there, I thought it was @Ravenscry closet 
@OrbitOrange Yeah, that is a drool worthy photo indeed!
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Good one! 
Need 20
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Shiprock’s belt rack never fails to put me in a trance. 
Oh come now, @Phoenix7, that would just be silly…even I know that belt buckles and concho belts belong in the living room!
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you’re absolutely correct! They are show pieces 
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Back in August 2024, I was in Scottsdale and visited John C. Hill Antique Indian Art. While there, I saw a beautiful, large concho, that appeared to have some age on it. It was mixed in with a few other belt buckles, so I asked John if I could see it. The first thing I noticed when he handed it to me was its significant weight. However, my excitement quickly diminished when I turned it over and discovered it had not been converted to a belt buckle, as it did not have a belt bar or post. Reading my disappointment, John said, “You could always have a commercial swivel bar and post soldered on the back.” But, to me, this concho was too cool and too special for commercial findings, so I reluctantly decided to let it go halfheartedly convincing myself that I really didn’t need another belt buckle.
Fast forward to October 2025. I was back in Scottsdale and wondering if that old concho might still be for sale. As soon as I entered John’s store, I went to the belt buckles and sadly, the concho was gone. I asked John if he remembered the concho, but it wasn’t registering with him, but that was probably due to my lack of describing it accurately. After visiting with John a little bit, I was looking in another display case, and there, on the bottom shelf, in the far back corner, was the concho! I asked to see it again and decided it was going home with me, because this time, I had a plan.
I called my partner in trouser retention systems, and the best bar & prong guy in the business, Aaron (@Ravenscry), to discuss how we (mostly Aaron) would go about a conversion. We both decided the concho needed a solid bar, which would be more appropriate for its apparent age. As soon as I returned home, I sent the concho to Aaron.
After it arrived, the first thing Aaron did was test its silver purity, which determined the concho was made of coin silver! Being a purist and insisting on being true to traditional Navajo silversmithing techniques, Aaron was set on the bar and post being made from coin silver and that it would be cast from a tufa mold. The following are photos from Aaron and the numerous steps and vintage equipment it took to convert this concho to a belt buckle.
Intermission (music playing) 
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Navajo, 3 7/8” x 3 1/4”, 127 grams, coin silver, early 20th century
Next stop was my leather “shop” for a belt and leather backing.
This buckle is now one of my favorites with its broad area of unworked silver, its low relief, central medallion that is a result of filing away the surrounding surface and adding radiating lines with a cold chisel, the shallow scalloping, minimal stamp work, and the overall imperfections, which suggests this concho was created with limited tools and resources.
ALL credit goes to Aaron for graciously offering his superior talent, tools, and time to give this old concho new life. Without his involvement, this concho would probably still be residing in John’s display case, on the bottom shelf, in the far back corner.
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This is amazing! Great work, gentlemen! What a story. That concho was going to come back to IN with you one way or another!
@Ravenscry, what made you decide to use tufa casting for the bar? Is the concho cast? Really cool; thanks @TAH for posting the photos of the process.
I chuckled at the “intermission” break - could totally hear the annoying music in my head.
It’s really a beautiful buckle, and looks so classy on the rich espresso leather.
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This is one of my absolute favorites of your fine collection, Tom! As beautiful as @TAH’s photos are, they really don’t do this concho-turned-belt-buckle justice. It’s so heavy and well made. I spent a great deal of time holding, feeling, and simply admiring it. That’s one of the reasons it took so long, Tom.
We both knew what needed to be done.
Zia, I utilized the tufa mold simply for casting the coin silver ingot. I don’t have ingot molds, and this is the way this would have been done when the concho was originally crafted. (In Tom’s and I’s opinion anyway.) Once the ingot was cast, from there it was hand forged to a roughly round shape, (this imparts both strength and stresses into the ingot) it was then annealed to soften it, went through more forging, and then it got passed through the rolling mill. The mill helped true the round shape Tom desired, while lengthening the blank. Once the blank passed through the final sizing groove in the mill, it was drawn through the drawplate with the drawing tongs seen in Tom’s first photo. This finalizes the shape and is the last step before cutting bending, and welding the components to Tom’s beautiful concho. 
Tom’s incredible leather work just took this one to a whole other level, and is beautifully done. I had the opportunity to inspect it in hand, and again, the photos just don’t come close to imparting what is felt in person.
I was proud to be given this opportunity, and without @TAH’s keen eye, it never would have been presented to me. So thank you, Tom. 
Although, you give far too much credit, this is not something I claim to know much of anything about, I simply read too much and am just glad to help.
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Spectacular work Aaron! You’ve become a bit of an expert in buckle repair now!
Sometimes, things were just meant to be, and I’m so glad that buckle found such a great home with extra loving help from Dr. Aaron! I also am enamored with the leather belt and backing 
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I see, thanks for the explanation, makes sense. What an incredible amount of work you put in!
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Not me, Phoenix! I just like to mess around with molten metal and weld things together.
It certainly could not be in more caring hands, there’s no doubt about it!
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Wow, guys, just wow. I love a good jewelry story and this is one of the best. The concho is outstanding. And to find it again over a year later - it was waiting for you @TAH . The workmanship to convert the concho to a belt buckle is excellent. You can’t tell that the bar & post aren’t original to the piece. The finished product is first-rate.
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It was a pleasure, truly, and an honor. I was just thrilled Tom asked me to help him breathe new life into that beautiful concho; he could have easily gone to any number of real, professional silversmiths.
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Great old school craftsmanship I can really appreciate @Ravenscry. That far back would a NA silversmith have had a rolling mill and draw plates. Otherwise would likely have cast, filed, and sanded.
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Thanks Zia! I couldn’t believe it was still there.
“Far too much credit.” I don’t think so! Not only do you have talent, but you read the right book, which technically, makes you a student of John Adair and Tom Burnsides.
I couldn’t agree more, Phoenix. Thanks for the nice words!
I couldn’t agree more, Zia.
Thanks Patina! It was a collaborative effort between me, Aaron, and the unknown Navajo who hammered out a silver concho a century ago.
I agree, Patina. Aaron’s workmanship is perfect. This concho would have a whole different vibe with commercial findings on the back. Even in person, it all looks original.
Aaron, you are too humble. It’s true, I could have gone to other professional silversmiths and ended up with commercial findings. There are probably only a handful of silversmiths who would have the knowledge and interest to cast coin silver findings, if they would even accept the job. Perry, Ernie, Jesse, and Jock come to mind. And only one of them might do it.
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You sure have an heirloom buckle now with more history.
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Thank you, Steve! Aaron’s work has really made this one special.
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