Custom silver belt buckle
The belt buckle is an exclusively masculine fashion accessory.
Almost totally abandoned by women who choose discretion, men have appropriated this ornament. As often, men have little jewelry but choose high-end and custom pieces that will last in time.
In this case, we had the opportunity to create a custom belt buckle in sterling silver according to a drawing.
If the project seems simple at first glance, it is not so since it's a large piece of more than 120 grams carved in 3 dimensions making 100 millimeters wide by 75 millimeters in height.
Sterling silver belt buckle reproduced from a drawing
Buckle design
Our starting point for the project : a picture of a wolf's head made in tattoo.
This design is relatively complex, we had to make a three-dimensional sculpture to get all the details of the drawing.
Reference drawing for the manufacture of our silver buckle
To do this, it was necessary to sculpt in 3D and from the image the original model.
Thanks to our contacts on the web, we made use of the company repliqua3D (fr) which was in charge of 3D modeling and digitization of the master.
Here is the rendering of their work :
Front view showing the fidelity of the sculpture details in relation to the drawing
Virtual overview of the silver buckle, we observe how modeling is close here to reality.
After validation of the design by the customer, we were able to move to the manufacture phase.
Silver manufacture
To achieve a perfect representation of the original 3D model, we used 3D printing technology to physically create the belt master from the sculpted 3D file.
We then obtained a wax model of the belt buckle, a faithful reproduction of the digital model.
The rest of the operations were to transform the master into silver wax by the method of cast iron lost wax.
The finish consisted of polishing the front of the belt buckle and welding the fasteners, hook and buckle for fastening to the belt.
Silver belt buckle finalized
All in all, it took us nearly 6 weeks to fully complete the project, from the validation of the order to shipping.
The 3D sculpture phase is a long process for this kind of particular work.
Finally, note that there is little offer in the market for silver or gold belt buckles.
Few models are available due to the lack of demand in the market in general forcing customers to turn to tailor-made.
You may find your choice on these websites :
- Harpo offers a collection of buckles of silver belts and turquoise stones visible here
- The Tournaire jeweler offers a small and refined collection of belt buckles
- This website offers silver belt buckles Native American style (fr)
- Bachet offers a fairly expensive gold and diamond belt buckle model
For further :