Vintage Navajo Buckle of Chip Inlay Waterbird

This vintage silver belt buckle has a chip inlay waterbird motif of turquoise and coral that was all the rage in the 1970's. Some might call the chip inlay design a peyote bird, however, a Navajo artist once insisted that this particular bird represents the water NOT a plant. The distinction is interesting.

Whatever this stamped silver buckle symbolizes to you, it was Navajo made at the Atkinson Trading Company and it bears the hallmark.

It measures 2 1/2" x 2" and fits up to a 1 1/2" belt strap.

Wearing the buckle is like a flashback to a dynamic period in southwestern Native American jewelry.