Concho belts are one of the most eye-catching, extraordinary  elements of Native American Jewelry. Conchas, also called conchos(named after the Spanish word for shell) are round or oval disks of silver and are used in groups to decorate belts. The belt itself is called a "concha belt" or sometimes a "concho belt." The concha belt is another example of the foreign elements of design which the Navajo People adopted, changed and developed into a very unique piece of jewelry and a symbol of the Navajo nation. The Navajo have taken a design which they may have borrowed from the Mexican concha bridle ornament or from the oval shaped hair ornaments worn by the Plains Indians and added designs copied from the leather stamps of the Spanish and Moors. The shortened name, concha (or conchas for more than one) is used to describe these belts. The medallions or plates of silver vary in number according to size. The old kind had holes in the center, separated by a bar, through which was passed the strap forming the belt. The first belts were made only of concha's, with leather thongs used for fastening. Later a silver harness buckle was used, then slides of soft copper were used to attach and slide the concha's on belts and finally elaborate buckles replaced the leather thongs and simple buckles. The use of turquoise and other adornment on concha's date from the 1920's. 

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