My mom inherited this belt in the 70s. My sister just passed it on to me since I have a fondness for turquoise. I’ve never seen anything like it. The metal tests as gold over sterling. No marks. The turquoise has been inscribed with Arabic letters and florals which were gold gilt at one time. I’m thinking Persian turquoise? I’m really confused on this thing.
8 Likes
Very interesting piece. Almost looks like beatles. Would call that Persian Turquoise.
4 Likes
This is pretty cool. I love the scarabs 
5 Likes
Thanks! Any creative ideas of what I can do with it? It’s missing two stones and not much use as a belt.
2 Likes
Very cool! I cannot find anything like it on the internet. You could make one part into a necklace and another into a bracelet. use the big scarab as a pin.
5 Likes
Great ideas @nanc9354 . Piecing it out sounds like the best solution. Should have enough for a spinner pendant also. I forgot to mention each one spins.
4 Likes
Wow, this is really unusual!
I’d say it’s made in Egypt, because of the scarabs.
1920s-40s?
2 Likes
I agree with your assessment. I would also lean toward Egyptian. Awesome piece of work. Wonder if you could find a museum from there that might have some information. I agree that you want to put it to good use but I would want to know about it before dismantling it. Very interesting piece!
3 Likes
Well, that is really a one-of-a-kind piece… Very fascinating. I’m also on the made in Egypt or Middle East crowd.
I think @Islandmomma had the best advice here… please take it to a local museum before you dismantle it. Otherwise, if it has no use to you as a belt, it could be made into other things.
3 Likes
Right on @Islandmomma . Sometimes I amaze myself at not thinking of these things myself. Thanks! I have sent photos to a colleague at a major auction house. Stay tuned for updates 
2 Likes
The belt does not meet a fair auction estimate. Looks like I will part it out. Maybe a couple pendants and re-polish the stones.
1 Like
Hi @StevesTrail, did they give you any info on it, like era and country of origin that you can share?
1 Like
Good luck, and let us know how it goes. I would be interested in seeing what you do with it. It’s a fascinating piece.
1 Like
Here are a couple necklaces I came up with. I kept it simple using only parts from the belt (except for the small pendant chain and sterling clasps) and I retained the unrefined look the belt had. The gold wash was thin on the single pendant so I polished it to the silver.
10 Likes
Those are fabulous! I think I like them as necklaces better.
3 Likes
Thanks @Ziacat ! The words originally scribed on the stones looked to be a form close to Urdu which would be in the area of Pakistan. But this is just another guess.
2 Likes
I totally agree with Ziacat, the necklace are really nice
3 Likes
Those are great. I like that you polished the single one to silver. I am not a big fan of gold wash especially if it’s half worn off. You did a nice job.
1 Like