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Custom Hand Engraved Solid Sterling Silver & Gold
Trophy Style Belt Buckle, "Sunset Rendezvous"

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Close-Up of Belt Buckle | Angled Close-Up of Belt Buckle | Detail of Corner Scroll-Work

This amazing trophy style belt buckle was for the same Texas buckle collector who commissioned the "Ranch Hand" Belt Buckle from 2008. He claims this scene has taken place on countless occasions in the West after a long, hot summer-day of work...

This buckle was a process. The 14K red gold section - the couple and the background - was cast from a crude wax-carving that Neil made, - a clever way to get a good 3-D start. He would otherwise have had to start with a flat sheet and carved away all that gold. The angled close-up photo of the buckle gives an idea of the level of 3-D in the carving. The casting was then carved further and greatly refined. Next, the sky and the water were soldered onto the back of the red gold 3-D carving. The 18K peach gold sky was then inlaid with platinum and 24K gold. The water in the tank is yellow as it's reflecting the yellow of the sky and the sunset. The next step was to attach the over-sized main silver buckle-body plate, which had the bail and the prong secured on the back already.

The corner plates are done in Hopi-style filigree. They have a back-plate which is engraved with horizontal lines, mainly to trap the light, and a filigreed and engraved front-plate. This is why the background in the corner scroll-work is so black. The plates were then inlaid with 24K gold lines both along the wavy side of the front and along the edges. Tiny pieces of silver were inlaid in the cowboy's buckle and tip, and both hat-bands. The cowgirl's panties were inlaid in platinum. His saddle and her boots each have a brand; RB and AX, respectively. The last major step was attaching the corner plates and sawing away the excess on the perimeter of the over-sized buckle body. After the final assembly Neil still spent countless hours of engraving detail and touch-up.

This buckle has a pyramid-shaped composition, and there is great depth of perspective. Neil doesn't make too many buckles with this level of complexity. It takes a lot of planning and calculation beforehand, as well as problem-solving and improvisation during the process. It is, however, very rewarding.

Custom Hand Engraved Trophy Style Belt Buckle, Handcrafted
"Sunset Rendezvous" item # "sengr.sunsetrndzvs3.apr09"
Solid Sterling Silver w/14K Red, 18K Peach, 24K Yellow Gold, & Platinum
Approx. Overall Size 3½" x 2½" (90mm x 64mm)

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