# Belt strap for slide-buckle (Tiffany's style)



## Nico01 (Jan 8, 2009)

So I recently bought a nice vintage engine turned belt buckle on eBay and I need to get a belt strap for it. British tan/light brown is preferred, and I want to buy it cheap, maybe 30 bucks, and maybe in a year I'll commit to buying a nicer one. Anybody know where to get one?

I've looked at Tiffany, Brooks (maybe on deep discount...) and searched the internet far and wide to little avail. Trafalgar is the closest I can get, but their calfskin straps are still a bit too expensive. I may have to break down and pay $65 for their cortina strap, it's quite beautiful in honey maple...


Also, any consensus on the engraving? I'm not a J.W. jr, nor was anyone in my family, as far as I'm aware. Do I leave it as is or have it milled out and re-engraved?


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## AlanC (Oct 28, 2003)

Try . I purchased a couple of straps from there when I went the same route you did.

Milling would depend on how deep the engraving is. You can also find vintage buckles without engravings.


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## Trip English (Dec 22, 2008)

I second Beltmaster. They're terrific. 

And my vote is leave the initials. No one will notice unless you point it out. As some may remember I had an engine turned buckle engraved with the word "BROKE" a while back. I wear it 2-3 times a week and not a single person has said a thing. Don't compromise the patina.


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## EastVillageTrad (May 12, 2006)

Nice, I will have to give this Beltmaster a try myself.

I went with Dann Online/Trafalgar for a moc-croc awhile back. But these look much more moderately priced!


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## Joe Tradly (Jan 21, 2006)

I love the look of the old engraving. They just don't engrave like that anymore. In fact, if you asked to have "JR" done like that, they'd probably not even understand what you were asking. It's beautiful. 

If anyone asks, it was your great uncle's.

JB


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

15 years ago, my wife and I took a trip to NYC and our luggage was lost. I was given a check for 250 $ for clothes from the airlines (remember those days?). I went directly to Madison Ave. and bought a turned buckle and a burgundy belt strap. Have worn almost daily since. BB straps last.


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

BTW, I wouldn't wear someone else's initials. Try the buckle, and if you like it, buy your own.


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

And yes there are good engravers around. In Charleston, there is still a guy that does it by hand (as the OP's buckle was), not stencil (or whatever the right word). My wedding cufflinks were by engraved by hand and are sublime, as is my wife's charm bracelet.


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## Joe Tradly (Jan 21, 2006)

I meant specifically from Tiffany, Peter. I'm sure they did that in-store (by hand, I agree). You'd never get that service today, even on 5th Avenue.

JB


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## PeterW (May 14, 2004)

Joe, as I'm sure you know, some times you have to come South to get it done right!


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## Joe Tradly (Jan 21, 2006)

From your lips (fingers?) to God's ears.

JB


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## Nico01 (Jan 8, 2009)

Thanks for the Beltmaster suggestion, thats exactly what I've been looking for! I wish I had managed to turn that up in my two days of googling for straps.


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## a pine tree (Jun 20, 2010)

Leave that buckle be! If you really are concerned, sell it on the thrift biggrin and, as Alan said, find a blank one to engrave.


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## tsweetland (Oct 2, 2006)

For what it's worth, I bought two beltmaster straps and for some reason they slide through my buckle when I try to wear them. This did not happen with the Traflagar strap.


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## Tom Buchanan (Nov 7, 2005)

As to the engraving, I am guessing that you might not be able to have it buffed out even if you wanted to.

I know that Tiffany will buff out machine engraved monograms, but not the heavy hand-engraving. They told me that there is just not enough silver to work with. I tried some silver folks in my area, and they would not mess with hand engraving on a small belt buckle.

I think that all of the Tiffany shops now send their buckles to NY for engraving/monogramming now. I was definately not impressed with their machine engraving. 

As to wearing someone else's initials, I am undecided. We have an inherited tea set that is not my initials.


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## Larsd4 (Oct 14, 2005)

tsweetland said:


> For what it's worth, I bought two beltmaster straps and for some reason they slide through my buckle when I try to wear them. This did not happen with the Traflagar strap.


I also own two Trafalgar straps and one slips through the buckle (won't hold), but the other doesn't. I just ordered two Beltmasters hoping to cure this, oops.


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## maximar (Jan 11, 2010)

I ordered I belt today after reading this thread. Hopefully it doesn't slip!

Thanks fellas!


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