Help on Conchos

Hi everyone! I told a friend I would help him with his concho belt pieces, and by helping I meant I would come here and ask you folks for information :grin:. There are 9 conchos and 1 buckle. The conchos measure 2 5/8" x 2 1/8". The buckle measures 3 1/8" x 2 1/8". I checked the Medicine Man site and art-amerindien sites but couldnā€™t find the mark. Do you recognize the maker? The mark is only on the buckle. He wants to sell the pieces but not through ebay. Is there a reputable dealer that might be interested in purchasing the pieces? Any other help such as tribe, etc. would be appreciated. All pieces tested as sterling silver. As you can see, 2 of the conchos are missing the turquoise. Thanks in advance for any help!

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@585925 Hi ~ I checked my Hougartā€™s ā€œNative American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarksā€ book but didnā€™t see this hallmark listed. I checked for ā€œR.L. Vatā€ but am not sure that my guess at the hallmark name is correct. I havenā€™t used it but others here also use Google Lens as a tool to help identify hallmarks. You may want to give that a try.

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Thank you, Patina! I should have mentioned that I tried Google Lens first with no luck. I appreciate you taking the time to help :+1:!

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My first thought was R. Lovato, too. Though Iā€™m not sure who that would be; unlikely itā€™s Ray Lovato the famous bead maker. Itā€™s a cool mark.

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Possibly it is two initials and the last name Vat, because there seems to be period after the first two letters (although I do see thereā€™s another one after Vat so maybe the dots are representing the letter ā€œOā€ or something). Maybe itā€™s not even the hallmark of the artist - maybe it was put on for the owner. Or maybe the artist is not Native. But of course Iā€™m just guessing. It may remain a mystery!

It does have a Navajo look, but without knowing the artist thereā€™s no way to say for sure. And I would think having the stones missing would bring down the value a bit.

I agree with @OrbitOrange, this does not look like Ray Lovatoā€™s work.

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Thanks for weighing in, Steve, OrbitOrange and Ziacat! I looked up Ray Lovato, but he seems more well known for his beads than any silverwork. Great guess, though. Hadnā€™t thought of using the periods as ā€œOā€™sā€. The signature is so distinct, I thought it would be recognized immediately but I was wrong. Iā€™ll keep searching, and again, I appreciate your help!

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