Buckle Up: A Peek into the Archives of a Star Texas Silversmith

The Western mystique embodied by Clint Orms and his filigreed buckles, bracelets, money clips, and other accessories has never been more en vogue. Even Ralph Lauren has commissioned rodeo-style buckles from the Texas silversmith and engraver, elevating his storied reputation to the world stage.

“It’s very important to me that future generations keep talking about where this all came from,” Orms says. To that end, the Wichita Falls native and the other artisans at his new Kerrville studio and showroom—including his protégé and son, Clayton—are rereleasing captivating motifs from the archives, which will offer plenty of additional fodder for Clayton, who started at the workbench at age five. “Dad has such a keen eye,” he says, “and a lot of our job is looking at the original drawings to keep that part alive.”

Take this Webb 1821 buckle, created by the elder Orms as the all-around trophy for the 1997 Houston rodeo. For this specific style, Clint Orms deliberately reduced the size of the typical nineties-era rodeo buckle, presented as a competition trophy since the 1920s. “After that, I received a lot of calls from cowboys to see a smaller trophy.”

A buckle like this takes twenty hours to finish, including small, meticulous details such as these horseshoes secreted into the corners of the Webb 1821. You have to look closely. And that’s the point.

1. Cattle Call

Everything Clint and Clayton make speaks to the lore and lure of cowboy culture, including the evocative longhorn. “This buckle shape has been around as long as I have,” Clint says.

2. Give It a Swirl

“Peru and Argentina and Spain influenced the American cowboy,” Orms says, and these ornate, radiating rosettes pay tribute to that heritage. “The artists of the old belt buckles, way before me, worked really hard at making them, and that’s why we work so hard.”

3. Straight Shot

The gold arrows symbolize strength and power, says Orms, a former bull rider who began silversmithing at sixteen. More than fifty years later, his designs get passed down in families and adorn stars of the old school (Lyle Lovett) and the new (Post Malone).