Buckle Terms

Belt buckle terms have evolved from as early as when the silversmiths were creating chainmail for battle and other handcrafted jewelry. The heritage artisans of the colonial times have expressed their ideas in fine silverware. The same traditional techniques are maintained now while creating your belt buckle masterpiece.

Enjoy the Belt buckles terms below:

Brass: - A yellowish alloy of copper and zinc, sometimes including small amounts of other metals, but usually 67 percent copper and 33 percent zinc.

Bronze: - 85% copper and 15% zinc, has a dark gold like look.

Buckle Set: - Normally three pieces: one a buckle, another the tip of the belt and the third is a piece that holds the end of the belt. Almost always in silver or gold with lots of engraving.

Cast: - To form (liquid metal, for example) into a particular shape by pouring into a mold. Pewter as an example is often made using a rubber mold process where tin plus alloys are poured into the mold and centrifugally spun.

Coined: - Process where the image of the buckle is physically stamped or pressed into a base material (often jeweler's bronze or brass)

Comstock Silver: - The manufacturer's name for Bimet or Sterling overlay. A sheet of sterling silver bonded to a sheet of 18% nickel silver. Not an electroplate.

Copper: - A ductile, malleable, reddish-brown metallic element that either pure or in alloys such as brass and bronze.

Engrave - To carve, cut, or etch into a block or surface.

Flopper: - Term I learned from buckle expert Robert Brandes that indicates instead of a post soldered onto the buckle back there is a moveable, usually half moon shaped, piece of metal that is hinged on both sides, fastened to a second keeper and has the post soldered onto it facing the back of the buckle. This is often found on older buckles made in the western United States.

Friction Buckle: - The belt is pulled behind and through the back of the buckle where part of the buckle "sticks" into the belt and holds it in place. Commonly used in military buckles.

German Silver: - A white nickel alloy (65% copper, 17% zinc, & 18% nickel). Silver is a color description and doesn't imply content of the metal (in other words - there is no silver in German silver). Normally a darker surface look than sterling silver.

Gold: - A soft, yellow, corrosion-resistant element, the most malleable and ductile metal, occurring in veins and alluvial deposits and recovered by mining or by panning or sluicing. Gold is generally alloyed to increase strength although it has a wonderful appearance.

Gold Electroplate: - A thin layer of gold is electroplated (electrically bonded to the surface) for a rich and lustrous finish.

Gold Fill: - The buckle maker uses a metal plate with gold 10-20% of the thickness on top, normally at least 10 karat gold, usually bronze underneath that. The gold layer must be at least 1/20th by weight of the total combined gold and metal to be classified as gold filled. A marking of 1/10th by weight is higher in gold content. Intricate deep carving requires the deeper depth, lots of times on older buckles the 10% fill wears off through use and you can see spots where the bronze or other materials shows through.

Gold Overlay: - See Gold Fill and Rolled Gold Plate.

To continue on with more buckle terms.

Exit Buckle Terms>> and go to belt buckle terms page 2.