I used to faithfully watch Am. Pickers! Was that from a show?
You 2 gentleman are either loads fun or a boatload of trouble, not sure which 
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Not sure. It’s just a photo on her website, which doesn’t even mention his name.
For sure the latter, but it’s all Aaron’s fault. 
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It’s recommended, Tom, but on that trip I left my Personal Protective Equipment at the shop. 
We can’t be both? 
Hey Tom, if Zia ever finds out about the raids we carry out, we’ll be in nothing but trouble. 
I’ll proudly take responsibility. 
At the end of the day, the only thing in trouble is our pocketbooks. 
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I see you’ve been hanging out with @Steve. 
What raids? 
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I heard that L0L181920
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The patina on the silver and the charming irregularity of the bezels are what stand out to me.
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Thank you, @diriklolkus! Those two features, as well as the beautiful stones, sealed the deal for me.
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I just received a notification from Shiprock Trading Collection, “Higher Conchas-ness: Concho Belts 1900-Present.”
Don’t you just love “Higher Conchas-ness”! They must have been rolling on the floor after coming up with that one!
And this image of Millicent Rogers…can get better than that!
Check out their collection:
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@bmpdvm This is wonderful and the exhibit’s title is a hoot! I would’ve loved to have met Millicent Rogers and spent even just one day with her in NM.
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Millicent is so elegant. Even her name is sophisticated. 
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Hi all! Finally back from my annual “drop off the face of the earth” exercise, following a brutal apartment move and a suite of medical/existential/intellectual crises (lol—to a point). Hope everyone is well!
I’m not sure if this is really the appropriate thread for this, but I have a question about a belt: it has exhausted my powers of deduction and it is time to ask the experts. It is a “ranger set,” comprising a buckle, the “tail” end, and two keepers. It is stamped “Calvin” in a kind of script—and here begins the puzzle.
I know that this stamp, which is associated with Calvin Begay, has an absolute HOST of problems relating to counterfeits, workshop matters (in the Renaissance sense), and a lot of really nasty business besides. I read up on this in the thread posted elsewhere on this forum, including an article linked by @chicfarmer. My doubts with my belt began with this stamp, particularly after looking for my specific variation and finding only the “Calvin ?” reference on the Art-Amerindien site and a confusing entry in the 2nd Edition of Wright’s Hallmarks of the Southwest (my only hallmark book—probably a bit out of date).
Based on the stamp dilemma, I took a much closer look at the belt. Photographs follow below. I really don’t know where to begin, except to ask:
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Has this been cast? Or is it just really accurate stamping (or overlay??), in terms of regularity? (This is particularly evident when comparing the two keepers, which seem to my amateur eye to be almost identical, striking me as out of line with handwork.)
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There are a few bits of “gunk” in the gaps of the piece. Is this solder (or some other honest remnant of hand-making) or is it material from the dreaded casting? The photograph with the red circle indicates where I’m referring.
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Am I insane (or at least naïeve) for thinking casting is necessarily problematic, if it IS cast?
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The lines visible in the dark portion: are these guiding lines for stamping or overlay or some other technique or are they evidence of something of machine origin? I’ve circled an example of this in blue in one of the photographs.
PHOTOS:
(The lighting in my new apartment is abominable, so my apologies for any quality issues with the photographs!)
I have other questions but I think they’re probably just variations on the above. I wear this belt frequently, because it’s easy to incorporate into outfits, though my doubts about its origin have put me a bit off of it for now. I don’t remember paying an awful lot for it, so there isn’t a lot at stake if there ARE problems with the piece—it’s not the centerpiece of my collection or anything, so I can handle any bad news! So please, if you have thoughts, let me know, particularly if they are critical! It would be great to know one way or the other. 
I hate to pop in out of nowhere with a lengthy question after a long absence, so I’ll be a bit more active in the meantime and share some new pieces in another thread! Thanks much for any help/expertise. It’s always so very appreciated. 
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Great to have you back, Rio.
Thank you for sharing the wonderful photos of your beautiful ranger set.
As usual, I’m of no assistance concerning the hallmark, but I do recall the issues surrounding this particular one.
@mmrogers will no doubt have the most valuable opinion concerning construction, but I’d like to share my thoughts.
It looks well made. The attachment bar and prong both look stout, and the groove cut into the attachment bar to keep the prong centered is a nice touch.
It looks cast to me, perhaps from a handmade master? In this photo, the joint of the backplate is visible, it appears wear has made some separation evident.
This looks like it could be remnants of solder or imperfections from casting.
Personally, I don’t feel castings are problematic. Some of my favorite pieces are cast: both ones I own and others that I admire from afar. It allows for execution of designs that would be, practically, impossible to achieve by any other method. May I ask if there is an underlying cause for you to have an unfavorable opinion of castings? Or perhaps your opinion isn’t unfavorable and you were just on the fence about the idea of it being a method utilized for mass production? The process has been practiced by the Navajo since roughly ~1875, so it’s by no means a contemporary idea. 
In this photo, I’ve pointed to some scratches in the “underlayment” that are undeniably identical in both keepers, similar to the lines you circled. Again, @mmrogers will set me straight, but to me, both of these “imperfections” speak to masters being crafted by hand and used to create the patterns for casting. The buckle and tip are solitary pieces, but the keepers provide us with two separate examples to compare; and these are, as you point out, unmistakably alike.
On the tip, there appear to be similar lines to those present on the keepers. These look like tool marks left behind from the crafting of the original master.
I look forward to seeing what Mike thinks; as with his practical and professional experience, he will undoubtedly provide much more reliable insight. My opinions are simply that, and I enjoy dissecting these kinds of things. 
When convenient, would you mind sharing a photo of the reverse of the tip?
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Thank you for such a wonderfully thorough response, Aaron! Incredibly helpful as always.
The sections you’ve pointed toward on the keepers are precisely what grabbed me wrong—those scratch lines are just TOO exactly similar. I appreciate your detective work.
I agree with you about casting. I certainly don’t take any exception to it on principle and have several cast pieces I love! I think in this case what unsettled me about that possibility is that it being cast from a handmade master could (perhaps it is even likely) mean that this piece was created without participation from Calvin Begay (or, at worst, without any Native participation at all), which would seem immoral given the history of his mark being used against his wishes. I suppose it is also possible he cast along these lines himself; but, the more unfortunate possibility of it being a forgery would seem more likely to me—though maybe I’m being cynical.
Here is a picture of the backside of the tip, though it’s still attached to the leather because I use a bit of poster putty to keep it adhered safely (an old boyfriend taught me to do this and it really does work!).
I certainly agree that—if he has time to spare a look—Mike will definitely have an authoritative take on all of this, but I think you’re spot on with your observations. It’s what I suspected/feared, anyway! It’s still good silver and fine for keeping my shorts on, but I’ll take it off the insurance list and maybe start hunting for something a bit less problematic. (I’ll take ANY excuse for belt shopping! 
)
Thank you again!
- Jourdain
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So good to have you back, Rio! I’ve missed you. And please don’t worry about having a long thread; I enjoy and look forward to reading your posts! I’ll go through your other post soon.
I cannot help you with your belt, but the conversation was very informative about how it was made. I actually have similar looking (Stamped? Overlay?) design on the side of a cuff that I have been puzzling over.
I understand your concerns about this particular casting due to the issues surrounding the fakes. But it is a beautiful buckle whatever the case. I found out through the forum that a buckle my mom left me is spincast (I think that’s what it’s called), when I had always been told it was sandcast. I know it’s Navajo made (she bought it at the Hopi House in '69) and has a nice piece of turquoise, but that bothered me a bit. I will always love it because it was hers, and the members here educated me (thank you Aaron, Mike, and Tom) that it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
And having a reason to shop for more Native jewelry is always a positive Good luck buckle hunting!
Again, welcome back!
And @Ravenscry, thanks again for your very informative answer. So good.
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Apologies if this is too off-topic, but while we’re on the topic of ranger sets – I’m on the lookout for an everyday sterling one for my mom. Does anyone here know of any silversmiths still making them today that I could look to?
You make such a good point about memories attached to pieces that are otherwise not “high collectibles.” I try to keep this in mind when I get disappointed with something I own, but it’s too easy to fall into the trap of thinking my closet is some kind of museum when it’s really just there to wear and appreciate! I want to work on that, so maybe this buckle conundrum is a sign to get over it and just wear the damn things. Haha.
I remember buying this specific ranger set at a small vintage stand during rodeo season in Salinas, CA, (my hometown area), just before I moved to New Mexico. It came on this ABSURD red and black faux-crocodile leather strap, well-tooled in the Western/Mexican style but a little too Gene Autry for daily wear. I switched it for a black strap that I wore into the ground over the next few years, all across the West, working and schooling and everything else. By the time I got to France, the leather had completely worn out and it broke off one day while trying to buckle my shorts! I replaced it with a strap from Harpo (Paris’ answer to a Trading Post). What a journey it’s had!
After typing all that out, I realize this silly ranger set might be the thing I’ve most worn in the past decade or so. I think I even wore it at my wedding! So I guess I should show it some respect, regardless of whether or not it’s an “important” piece of silver. I think the notion that it capitalized on a Native maker while possibly being non-Native is what actually bums me out—I hate to see that happen and would hate even more if I contributed to it by purchasing, even if vintage and even if unaware.
Anyway, your note pulled out some good memories, @Ziacat ! Thanks for the food for thought and a little positive spin. It’s always a lift!
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You’re welcome! Good memories are always fun. I love it that you wore it at your wedding. I didn’t have a traditional dress by any stretch (I had been a bridesmaid waaaay too many times and just didn’t want a big ole ceremony), and I think I wore a Native made ring or 2!
And maybe your buckle was a legit casting by him after all. You never know!
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Concur. Cast from a handmade master.Great analysis, @Ravenscry! Very nice buckle,@riobravo. What you’re seeing as separation defining backplate is a mold separation line. The master for type of buckle is typically made from a single sheet of sterling rather than overlaying one sheet over the other. The cross piece on the buckle appears to have been soldered on after the fact, as would the post holding the tip in place, and probably (but not necessarily) the cross piece (retainer) on the back of the tip.
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new sterling silver ranger belt buckle sets <<<<<<<< search results
from the results you can gather many artists producing ranger sets and narrow your choices
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@Ziacat, while I’d like to thank you for your kind words, I must insist that @TAH and @mmrogers are much more deserving of your appreciation. Tom has been an incredible inspiration from the start and Mike has always had my respect for his unbiased and practical knowledge. I am proud to call both of them, as well as you, friends, but I’m simply a student compared to these two gentleman. Albeit quite a of a student, but grateful for their presence and contributions, nonetheless.
Ahh, I see it now, thank you, Mike. Your explanation makes perfect sense!
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