He sounds like a neat man. Thank you for sharing this with me. I will try to learn something about the Kewa Pueblo.
Pictures are not my strong suit.
If you need different ones please let me know.
Again, gratefully,
Kendall
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Good morning. I realize that my pictures are not always just what someone needs. I hope that you can let me know if there is something else you need. I will try and try again.
Appreciatively,
Kendall
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Perhaps we could try turning your camera’s flash off and maybe get a little closer to the buckle?
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will do tomorrow. thanks for the guidance.
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I look forward to the experts weighing in. The coloration of the metal is so brassy I’m not quite understanding if this is silverwork.
EDIT Okay I think we are looking at brass. Per the internet Leo Coriz did make concho belts out of brass, like this one sold in this Feb 2026 at the Santa Fe Art Auction. This was a lot of two belts that sold together.
(The sold price shown included a 23% buyer’s premium.)
https://www.santafeartauction.com/auction-lot/leo-coriz-et-al-two-concho-belts-ca.-1965_606893f628
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Oh thank you, I am with you on the brass. Do you think that the larger belt shown in the beginning of the thread is also brass? It seems to me that they are, but I would like to not be wrong. I am so grateful that there are those who know.
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Thank you for the additional photos, @Kenda.
I’ll be curious to hear @mmrogers’s thoughts, but a couple of elements that I find curious are…
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The perimeter edges of the conchos on the larger belt have oxidized to a very uniform, dark brown/black, as opposed to an inconsistent darkening one is likely to see on silver: with the high points almost polished and the valleys between the scallops darker.
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You may be aware of all of this, but please bear with me. A main alloying element in brass is copper. The natural oils and acids in leather react exclusively with copper, brass, and bronze: producing a green residue known as verdigris. This is common on anything where leather and copper (or other alloys containing large percentages of copper) are in close proximity for any length of time. Sterling silver is 7.5% copper, which isn’t enough to initiate this reaction. On a Phase Two belt, because a copper strip is soldered on the back of the concho to lace the leather through, it’s just about a guarantee that one will find evidence of this chemical reaction where the leather passes through the copper retention strap. The leather concho backings on your belt show this same evidence on the entire surface, shoring up the thought that the conchos are either silver plated brass or copper. It’s almost a tell tale, I feel.
There is also a fair amount of verdigris at this intersection, again, with no copper soldered in place.
These two pieces of evidence leave me wondering, and curious, as I mentioned, for Mike’s thoughts.
I was going to mention that perhaps the reason we don’t see any of this at the buckle could simply be due to the fact that the buckle is not fixed in a “permanent” state of resting, as the conchos and backings are: the buckle can move and swing freely. But zooming way in, the oxidation at the center bar and inside the loop of the leather certainly look to have a green shade.
I really hate to ask you for another photo, but would you be willing to remove the last concho and separate it from its backing? I’d be very curious to see the reverse surface of the concho.
This may seem a bit odd, but again, please hang in there. We know your smaller belt is brass, by the photos and as @chicfarmer provided evidence that Leo Coriz did indeed work with the material. Silver does not emit an odor when handled, but brass, copper, and bronze most certainly do when the oils in your skin (precisely similar to leather) make contact with them. A sulfurous, metallic, musty smell is the result of this chemical reaction.
To prove this, you could handle the smaller belt in your hands, perhaps rubbing the back of the buckle with your thumb, and check for the scent. You could then perform a similar test to the reverse side of one of the conchos of the larger belt, if the silver plating is worn through or nonexistent, (if I’m even on a viable track) that is.
I could be way off on all of this, but I just wanted to share my thoughts and what I was seeing.
I’ll provide my humble thoughts on your Leo Coriz belt in short order. 
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Looks like brass to me as well, Aaron.
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If the first belt were mine, I would polish a small inconspicuous spot on the back of one of the conchos to reveal its true color underneath the patina. That would determine if it’s tarnished brass or a funky, yellowish tarnish on silver.
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I agree, Tom, it would certainly provide more evidence.
What’s tripping me up is the excessive amount of verdigris at different areas of the belt. That one of the backings is essentially covered in it is very odd, and I wouldn’t think it would present like that if the concho was crafted from silver. But I’m no expert.
I know this is all conjecture and we’re just having fun, but the reverse of this scalloped edge almost has a goldish hue to it, and that blue/black tarnish screams brass to me.
Needless to say, I’m really looking forward to hearing back from @Kenda.
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Thanks again for sharing these photos.
My interest in seeing the buckle up close was driven by my perception of the stamp work. Initially, I thought I was looking at an incredible amount of wear, as though portions of the stamped areas had been worn down through the embellishment. It appears that’s not the case, and what I’m seeing is simply the design of the stamps, particularly at “B” in the edited photo below.
I thought that perhaps the short, radiating, “sunburst”-esque stamps were intended to follow the entire outer perimeter of the larger, scallop stamp. However, it looks like it was intended to decorate either end of said larger stamp, unless my view is skewed, @mmrogers?
Another thought is that at “A”, the repoussé element is completely adorned with nearly complete stamp work on either side. At the arrows, it looks like the outer, scalloped stamp was either was lazily struck or is worn; but that doesn’t seem possible, as the adjacent, linear stamp doesn’t show any relative wear, in many spots.
@mmrogers, what do you make of the surface on the reverse? Do you think this could be a casting?
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Doesn’t look like a casting to me @Ravenscry. Brass is a difficult metal to work with at casting temps. Oxidizes much dirtier than silver. I use it from time to time for inexpensive prototypes for designs Im trying out before going to precious metal, and perhaps that was the case here. The shallow stamping in places underscores this impression. Un-annealed brass is much harder than silver when you’re working it with stamps and annealed brass isn’t much better depending upon the type of brass you’re using. One really has to strike the stamps much harder for the same depth of impression as with silver. I suspect this and not wear is why you see stamps that look as though they’re worn.
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This all makes perfect sense, Mike. Thank you for your input! I’ve no experience stamping brass, but I have machined a fair amount of different alloys: and every one, even the self lubricating, bearing alloys, are exceptionally hard and tough. I can imagine how difficult it would be to impress stamps at desirable depths.
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I couldn’t help but notice the similarities in Leo’s buckle to my 1930+/- Navajo buckle. It’s neat to think that perhaps he drew inspiration from older pieces.
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Thank you for all the insights @mmrogers.
It’s fascinating to hear about the making process.
I am interested in light metal work so that I can create some prototypes for jewelry. And I know nothing. I had absolutely no idea that my question about a belt that my mother likely bought in Santa Fe decades ago would connect with my even deeper questions about how to make what I want to make myself. Community is amazing.
I think that I’ve decided to keep the Coriz belt as I can see myself wearing that and thus enjoying it. I will wear it with more appreciation than before.
The larger unsigned belt that you all have helped me delve into, I think I need to let it go onto the next person so that the story can keep unfolding.
Could you help me, yet again, after all the discussion with how I might describe it accurately, what you might value it at and where I might try to sell it? Lots to ask.
I can imagine that whatever I receive for it that I can take that and gift it to my mother. Such a nice exchange of energy over the course of time.
Appreciatively for all who’ve aided me,
Kendall
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@Ravenscry, I want to thank you for your interest in the two belts that I have shown here. You interest, along with your curiosity and vast effort, have helped me learn. I have great admiration for teachers and you have taught me. I hope that your own creative work flourishes.
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You are too kind, @Kenda. I thank you for your kind words, but I must cede the recognition and credit to this community in its entirety.
This group is comprised of deeply passionate, vastly experienced, and knowledgeable individuals: any and all teaching or learning that takes place is the beautiful result of a team effort. Each of us has our fire that burns within us, but we all collaborate to light the way for others, and eachother.
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@mmrogers, I am curious if you were ever able to do the overlay you mentioned here to determine if “we’re looking at individually handmade conchas with the slight natural differences one sees in hand fabrication, or if we are looking at a number of identical conchas cast from one individual handmade original. Even without attribution, this has a direct bearing on provenance and value.” I would like to accurately describe/identify the unsigned (sadly) belt so that I might figure out how to value it for sale? From the discussions so far I have gleaned that it is most likely brass Navajo first phase revival. Anything else anyone can share will help me know what (and if) I am parting with. And many thanks to @TAH’s Belt Buckles & Concho Belts thread which showed such beautiful creations and taught me more about the passion people have for fine craftsmanship.
I find this forum to be a happy, helpful, respectful, lovely spot on the internet dial. Thanks for the great music,
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I was pretty sure simply from the nature of tooling that that the belt is handmade, @Kenda, and my initial thoughts were that if this is indeed brass, it’s very unlikely (~100%) anyone would take the time and trouble to cast the conchas with this expert level of workmanship. The reality is that brasswork even if 100% hand tooled isn’t likely to fetch much beyond costume jewelry value in the resale market. This was as true 50 or 60 years ago, as it is today.
My assessment is that this is a handmade belt. A quick transparency overlay confirms this impression. I would honestly be mystified should it turn out that someone skilled enough to produce work at this level (technically far superior to your other belt) would devote this much time and energy to make something that frankly is never likely to bring even a fraction of the inflation adjusted value of the time invested to create the work. Without a shred of provenance, beyond the exceptional nature and level of craftsmanship, this is especially true.
The couple of things that stand out to me are the fact that a silver cream was used to polish the belt leaving a white residue in the recessed areas. The surface does indeed appear yellowed, but this may also be at least partially a function of the way the camera sees the lighting. I’ve seen aged nickel take on this hue, which could also be influenced by oxidation over time of the paste polish used. Silver also tends to yellow, or brown a bit in the early stages of oxidation, so I think there are three possibilities. 1. The belt is made of brass. 2. The belt is made of nickel which is almost indistinguishable from silver in a high polished state (the verdigris would support this, or possibly brass). 3. The belt is made of sterling or coin silver with some verdigris from the copper content of the alloy. The next step is to have it professionally tested.
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