Truly for the serious collector of historical Native American pieces that are impossible & literally hard to find. These sterling studded Navajo velvet shirts are either in museums or in the avid collectors hands. Being a Santa Fe resident that’s’involved’ in the industry, I have only seen one for retail in all these years & that particular one hardly had anything close to the amount of sterling, like this one has! This is one seriously designed Navajo shirt with not many like it, nor having the amount of sterling like this one has! The top is said to be from the 30’s-40’s & is in amazing condition for it’s age! There are no conchos missing, nor do I see any obvious fading of color. The material is more like a velveteen rather than a silk velvet.. The material is quite heavy, which is the perfect weight when you have this many conchos that are sewn atop of it! The color is what I would call a berry color. (The photos from the backside make it appear more purple, but the accuracy in color are on the front side photos). All the sterling is hand forged & the front is literally covered with a range of different size sterling pieces, from dime size hand stamped buttons, to 2 different type of fluted, to round studs. You can witness the raw style handwork in the metal. There is actually a pattern to the design(See photos).. I counted around 246 buttons alone on the front of the shirt. The sleeves are covered in their entirety with a range in size from a 6 mm stud to a 9 mm. Counting just one sleeve, the front side has approximately 128 studs on the front & the back of the sleeve has about 116 for a total of 244! (X’s this by 2 for the other sleeve since they look identical). This has sterling “Grandmother Tips” that have little cabochons of turquoise & are sewn & then pinned to the base of the shirt. I was told that the triangular corduroy’gussets’ may have been added later to the armpit. If you look at the last photo, you will see the shirt turned inside out & how the metal is sewn onto the fabric. Please refer to all the photos since they play a major role to the shirt. I do have more photos if you need them. PLEASE GO TO MY SITE TO SEE MY NATIVE AMERICAN/SOUTHWEST/MEXICAN JEWELRY COLLECTION THAT I HAVE FOR SALE! MEASUREMENTS TAKEN LAYING FLAT FROM BACKSIDE. MEASURED ON ONE SIDE ONLY. Everything but length & sleeves measurements. CIRCA: 1930’S-40’S. METAL FINISH:Darkened with Natural Aged Patina. AMOUNT OF BUTTONS & STUDS: Approximately 734. WEIGHT:1 pound-10 ounces. SHOULDER TO SHOULDER: 18. WAIST TO BOTTOM: 17. LENGTH: 27 (MEASURED FROM CENTER COLLAR BACKSIDE TO BOTTOM). CONDITION: No holes, no missing buttons/studs, a few of the smaller studs have dings, but there are so many on this you have to really look close! It’s in remarkable condition for it’s age. This has’age’, so I do not know what kind of household it came from. You will be purchasing a “Used” item! If I have left anything out, please forgive me! If for any reason there is a return, there is now a 3% charge that will be taken out from the total price you paid. I’m sorry, but I will not eat this loss. This is one good reason why you should go over measurements before purchasing & read all the detail I provided you with & ask any questions/concerns you may have beforehand. Please read all the info & go through all 12 provided photos before purchasing! If you find the item is not as great as I think it is, it does not mean the item is’not as described’! The item “RARE-COLLECTIBLE-Vintage Navajo-Velvet Shirt-Over 700 Hand Forged 925 Conchos-XS” is in sale since Tuesday, February 11, 2020. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Cultures & Ethnicities\Native American\ US\1800-1934\Clothing & Moccasins”. The seller is “platadesantafejewelry” and is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This item can be shipped to United States.
- Handmade: Yes
- Artisan: UNKNOWN
- Provenance: Ownership History Not Available
- Origin: NAVAJO RESERVATION
- Tribal Affiliation: NAVAJO
