Over the course of the late nineteenth century, the Navajo developed a whole vocabulary for jewelry and other metalwork articulated with cold chisel and stamp work. This was quite different from the lapidary techniques (cutting and polishing stone and shell) that previous generations had practiced. The Navajo even developed entirely new formats, such as the concho belt: flat disks hammered from coin metal ingots and strung on a leather thong. The necessary tools for silversmithing were either handmade from recycled metal or acquired through trade; in turn, local markets also provided a ready
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