{"product_id":"the-covenant-of-wings-concho-belt-by-quintin-quam-sr","title":"The Covenant of Wings - Concho Belt by Quintin Quam Sr.","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe first thing you notice is that no bird is alone.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA cardinal finds its cardinal.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe hummingbirds meet in midair.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe bluebirds answer one another across the silver.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEven the hawks fly as companions.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYou keep following the belt, expecting the pattern to break, and it never does.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat’s when you realize you aren’t looking at twelve beautiful conchos.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eYou’re reading a story.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eQuintin Quam Sr. didn’t simply create a bird belt. He built a meditation on one of nature’s oldest promises—that the strongest journeys are made together. Courtship. Partnership. Family. Migration. Every panel quietly echoes the one before it until the entire belt becomes a procession of paired lives moving across the landscape.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOnly an artist with complete confidence would attempt something like this.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEach bird is assembled from hundreds of precisely cut fragments of turquoise, coral, jet, mother-of-pearl, shell, lapis, sugilite, and other natural materials, fit together one stone at a time until feathers seem to soften, wings appear to lift, and each species becomes immediately recognizable. There are no shortcuts in Zuni mosaic of this caliber. Every feather exists because someone sat at a bench and decided it mattered.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat makes this belt extraordinary isn’t simply the artistry.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIt’s the ambition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMost concho belts repeat a single motif because repetition is difficult enough. Quintin chose the harder road. Every concho is completely unique, yet every one belongs to a carefully orchestrated family of paired birds. It is simultaneously a masterpiece of design, natural history, and lapidary art.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI was fortunate enough to purchase this belt directly from Quintin Quam Sr. himself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKnowing that only deepens the experience. You aren’t just holding one of his finest creations—you are holding a piece that came directly from the hands that imagined it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSome jewelry decorates.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSome jewelry documents an artist’s career.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd every once in a while, a piece becomes the conversation collectors will still be having fifty years from now.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is one of those.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArtifact Registry\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArtifact:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Covenant of Wings\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaker:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Quintin Quam Sr.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTribal Affiliation:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Zuni Pueblo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaterials:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Sterling silver with hand-cut Zuni mosaic inlay including turquoise, Mediterranean coral, jet, mother-of-pearl, shell, lapis, sugilite, and other natural stones\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eConstruction:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Hand-fabricated sterling concho belt with individually created mosaic bird panels, each depicting a different paired species\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTo be confirmed\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEra:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Contemporary\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHallmark:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Q. Quam Sr. • Zuni • Sterling\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProvenance:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Acquired directly from Quintin Quam Sr.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCollector’s Gallery Value:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e$25,000\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEstimated value for a singular museum-quality work offered through a premier Southwestern gallery specializing in master Native American jewelry.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCurator’s Field Observation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaster Zuni mosaic belts by Quintin Quam Sr. are exceptionally uncommon. This example stands apart through its narrative design, depicting paired birds across every individual concho rather than repeating a single motif. The unusually substantial silver construction, direct artist provenance, and extraordinary labor involved elevate the work into museum-quality territory.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEric’s Notes from the Field\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is one of those pieces where the longer you stare at it, the more generous it becomes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt first you notice the colors.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThen the birds.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThen you realize they’re all paired.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThen you begin identifying the species.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAnd eventually you stop looking at jewelry altogether and start looking at someone’s life’s work.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI’ve handled a lot of Native jewelry over the years.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVery, very few pieces make me feel like I’m borrowing them from a museum.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis one does.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hespera Jewelry Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47777503117489,"sku":null,"price":25000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0153\/9641\/files\/6C2F54EE-C06A-4E39-94C8-862D3CF213EA.jpg?v=1785044484","url":"https:\/\/hespera.com\/products\/the-covenant-of-wings-concho-belt-by-quintin-quam-sr","provider":"Hespera Jewelry Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}