Belt Buckles

Belt buckles have been used since pre-historic times, when primitive hunter-gatherer tribes fashioned them from antler and bone to hold looped belts in place. Now long removed from the simple utility of cavemen, the modern, more intricate belt buckle has its roots in ancient China and Rome.

In the 3rd and 2nd century B.C., Mongolian tribes wore belted tunics adorned with embellished buckles. They were often shaped like powerful animals including wolves, oxen, and ibexes. Early Roman belt buckles were D- and square-shaped, forged by blacksmiths from pieces of wrought iron. As Rome's power faded, German invaders donned intricate belt buckles depicting animals engaged in battle.

During the Civil War era, military belt buckles influenced the style of most others to come. With the arrival of 1880s, Navajo Indian silversmiths were crafting silver and turquoise buckles, and by the turn of the 20th century, cowboys were sporting oversized silver buckles that ushered in a new sensibility of American style. Vintage belt buckles today are at once unique fashion statements and popular objects among collectors.

Quick Facts

• A heavy filigreed rectangular gold belt buckle was unearthed from the tomb of Childeric I, the king of the Franks (436-481 A.D.)
• Said to be the most expensive belt buckle in the world, the Roland Iten Calibre R822 Predator mechanical buckle is priced at $400,000. It is crafted from 18-carat white gold and titanium and adorned with 387 baguette-cut and round-cut diamonds totaling 14.15 carats
• In 2010 and 2011 High Noon auctions, a Roy Rogers western-style belt buckle sold for a record $69,000 while a belt buckle once owned by rodeo legend Jim Shoulders fetched $12,650