Pick of the Week: Plain = Polished
Posted on May 19, 2008 by admin Filed Under Collecting Belt Buckles, Pick of the Week, Special Buckles | Leave a Comment
Big, brazen belt buckles are fun but simplicity never goes out of style. The clean lines and classic shape of the belt buckle at left make it an ideal match for those occasions when understated elegance is in order; think weddings, interviews, client meetings, etc. It’s sterling silver, fits belts up to 1″, won’t tarnish and can be engraved (a great gift). Plain doesn’t have to be boring. In this case, plain is polished and put-together.
Battlefield Belt Buckles
Posted on May 14, 2008 by admin Filed Under Collecting Belt Buckles, History, History of the Western Belt Buckle, Special Buckles, Vintage Belt Buckles | 1 Comment
Anyone into vintage, military or just plain collecting belt buckles has gotta check out John Gawne’s incredible collection of 20th century military buckles. The author of Finding Your Father’s War has collected more than a dozen buckles from World Wars I & II and all are used or “have seen action”, as he puts it.
Gawne’s collection includes belt buckles recovered from battlefields as distant as Estonia and familiar as Pottsdam. The above buckle is a WWII German military buckle that features the notorious Gott Mit Uns (God With Us) signature logo. Gawne found it at Gorp en Roovert, a remote battlefield on the Dutch-Belgian Border.
These buckles aren’t made for wearin’. They’re made for admiring. And for reflecting.
Pick of the Week: Wood Works on Belt Buckle
Posted on May 12, 2008 by admin Filed Under Collecting Belt Buckles, Pick of the Week, Special Buckles | Leave a Comment
This buckle is exceptional for what it’s not. Namely, it’s not all metal. The design on the Lions Gate buckle is carved into wood and brushed with silver and black paint, giving it the shaded effect of a tattoo. The frame is metal but it’s only a backdrop for the exquisite woodwork and detailed design of the buckle. Cool and collectible, the Lions Gate buckle has a shelf life longer than its blinged out counterparts.
Turquoise Belt Buckles Revisited
Posted on May 8, 2008 by admin Filed Under History, History of the Western Belt Buckle, Special Buckles | Leave a Comment
Last week I highlighted a gorgeous J.W. Cooper turquoise belt buckle. Today I’m posting a few interesting facts on turquoise and its historic roots as a gift given to represent adoration and love. Did you know that Napoleon presented Empress Marie Louise with a crown of diamonds and turquoise on their wedding day?
As for belt buckles, turquoise was worn by American Indians as a means of carrying and indicating ones wealth. The concho belt buckle they favored is still popular, worn low on the hips over pants and skirts for women or affixed to a well-made leather belt and worn with jeans for men.
Double Barrel Belt Buckle
Posted on May 7, 2008 by admin Filed Under Articles, Collecting Belt Buckles, Special Buckles | Leave a Comment
Behold the Mardaga belt buckle. Albert Mardaga, inventor and artist with 30 plus years in the gunsmithing biz, created a belt buckle with a clasp based on the break-action of a double barrel shotgun. What gun collectors find most interesting, he explains, is not the actual firing of the gun. Rather, it’s the “quality of the gunsmithing, which can be as fine as watch and other clock making skills”.
Hence the idea to create a belt buckle. Shotguns break at a hinge where they are loaded. Mardaga engineered and patented its design for use as a belt buckle. Belgian master engravers added the exquisite decoration.
Not surprisingly, the “Royal Armouries Museum” purchased the first Mardaga belt buckle on the market at Bonhams London.
For additional photos and information, click here.
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