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Expert Guide: What Is a Native American Concho Belt (Navajo, Zuni, and Hopi)?
A concho belt (also spelled concha belt) is a traditional Native American belt made from a leather strap decorated with large sterling silver ornaments called conchos. These silver conchos, often stamped or set with turquoise, coral, or other stones, are handcrafted by Navajo, Zuni, and Hopi silversmiths and are one of the most recognizable forms of Southwestern Native American jewelry.
History of Concho Belts
The word concho comes from the Spanish concha, meaning "conch" or "seashell", but it has come to refer to round or oval silver disks, and sometimes rectangles, used to decorate saddles, bridles, clothing, and jewelry such as pendants, bolo ties, and belts.
Concho belts are a long-time Navajo tradition, though it has been suggested that the Navajo borrowed conchos from Mexican tack items or from the Plains Indians.
The earliest conchos were silver dollars that were hammered, stamped, edged, slotted, and strung together on leather.
Later in the evolution of concho belts, copper loops were added to the backs of the conchos so they could be slipped onto a leather belt.
Concho Belt Features
Concho belts can be a continuous row of conchos or can have spacers between the
conchos. The spacers can be various shapes, but traditionally they are butterflies,
and it is easy to see why they are called that when you look at the shape.
The conchos and butterflies are sometimes backed by leather, which highlights
the silver work and also protects the edges of the silver from bumping, wear,
or bending. 
Men's or Ladies Concho Belts?
Concho belts are unisex and can be worn with jeans as well as dresses.
How Many Conchos on a Belt?
The number of conchos on a belt depends on the size of the belt, the width of the conchos, whether butterfly spacers are used, and similar details. Some common configurations are:
- 6 conchos + 7 butterflies + a buckle
- 10 to 14 conchos + a buckle
- Link concho belts may have 12 to 18 conchos connected by rings
Silver Finish on Conchos
Conchos can be shiny or matte silver, antiqued or highly polished. Some concho belts are all sterling silver, but many also have stones inset in the center or around the perimeter of the concho.
Leather and Link Concho Belts
Generally there are two types of concho belts: leather and link. The leather belt
portion of leather concho belts is usually extra long and blank, meaning unpunched,
so you can custom fit the belt to your size. The conchos can be slid along the
leather as desired to position them perfectly for your waist size. You can also
remove the conchos and buckle from the leather strip provided and place them on
a favorite belt you already own.
Link concho belts are conchos connected by rings with a hook fastener at one end.
Fastening a Concho Belt
Some leather concho belts have a normal buckle with a tongue. You will need to
punch one or two holes in the leather portion of the belt to custom fit it. If
you have a small waist, you may want to cut some of the leather off the end and
possibly slide the conchos closer together. If you have a large waist, you may
want to slide the conchos farther apart.
Other leather belt style concho belts have a large oval western-style belt buckle
with a prong on the back that fits into a hole in the belt. You will need to punch
holes and trim the leather for this type of buckle too. 
Link concho belts fasten with a hook that can be attached almost anywhere on the belt, making link belts very adaptable and close to one-size-fits-all. Those with smaller waists have a larger portion hanging down in front after fastening.
Types of Concho Belts - Materials, Authenticity, and More
Today there are many types of concho belts sold. Some are authentic sterling silver and Native American made, but many are not. Here is how they stack up in our opinion:
- Museum Quality. Fine, highly worked museum-quality Navajo or Zuni handmade sterling silver concho belts are truly works of art and highly collectible. They are seldom sold and may be worn only for ceremonial purposes. They are made by talented traditional Native American artists using fine stones and sterling silver. Prices are commonly $20,000 and more.
- Authentic Traditional Leather. Traditional sterling silver leather concho belts made by Native American silversmiths and marketed for the discriminating buyer can be somewhat less complex and less expensive than museum pieces but are every bit as nice. These are often in the $1,000 to $9,000 range.
- Authentic Traditional Link. Sterling silver link concho belts made by Native American artists are used primarily over a blouse, but many can also fit through the belt loops of jeans.
- Nickel. "Nickel silver" or "German silver" concha belts have no silver in them at all. They are usually made from an alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel. They can confuse buyers because the name sounds like a silver item. Nickel silver is harder, more brittle, usually machine made, and of much lower value than sterling silver.
- Plated. Plated concha belts may be chrome or a thin layer of silver plating over steel, pot metal, or other alloys. These are tourist-grade or costume-jewelry style belts and are entirely different from Native American made sterling silver concho belts.