Traditional Western with a Refined Touch

Posted on July 27, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Cowboy, Handmade, Luxury | Leave a Comment

Clint Orms Engravers & Silversmiths aren’t your usual belt buckle makers. Clint has elevated the craftsmanship of belt buckles beyond traditional rodeo trophies to heirloom-quality jewelry, without losing touch with the true Western heritage.

Clint’s learned much of his trade from his father, who retired from rodeo competition in the 1950s and went on to design western clothing for the landmark cowboy shop, The Cow Lot, in Wichita Falls, Texas, which closed recently after an amazing 54 year run.

Clint started polishing belt buckles at 12 years old for his father’s company and went on to hand-tooling belts and eventually designing his own buckles by 15. Mix into this his saddle-making and silversmith skills and you can see the influences that guide his work.

While many of Clint’s creations follow traditional Western imagery, his artistry has led him into much more elegant and ornate designs. He now crafts his designs using sterling silver, 14 and 18 carat gold in different colors. While some of his designs cost a few hundred dollars, others feature diamonds, sapphires, emeralds and rubies and can sell for many thousands of dollars.

But the gold and the jewels are not the only reason for the lofty prices. Some of his more complex designs are made from hundreds of individual pieces, all meticulously soldered together, engraved and polished, taking up to 200 hours of painstaking labor. This effort goes deeper than just producing a nice product or cool fashion trend. He sees his buckles as heirloom quality that would be passed down from generation to generation.

The Great White West

Posted on July 9, 2008 by Stuart Kerty Filed Under Cowboy, History | Leave a Comment

When most people think about cowboys and the wild west, they tend to think of the western United States. However, the Canadian west has an equally rich cowboy heritage that is relived each July at the Calgary Stampede, a celebration of the early days of roping, riding, and rodeo. Each year, well over a million people turn out to whoop it up, Canuck cowpoke style.

To represent this year’s Stampede the organizers wanted an image that reflected Canada’s western heritage and values. They commissioned Canadian artist Doug Levitt, who painted A Man of His People to honor the culture of the First Nations (the aboriginal tribes of Canada) and offer a sense of nostalgia and respect for the Stampede’s long history with the Plains people. To ensure historical accuracy, the artist worked closely with native elders to portray as many Plains tribes as possible. Levitt’s artwork is reproduced on the 2008 limited edition gold- and silver-plated belt buckle commemorating the event.

There’s still time to buy the buckle, but you better saddle up fast if you want to join this year’s stampede where, until July 13, the wild wild west is still part of the great white north…