To start this identification process, here are some belts and buckles that I have grouped by the Victorian Era. Note these include the Art Nouveau period as well, as this artistic style overlaps the Victorian Era.
The Victorian period is defined with heavy embellishments with great detail and the Art Nouveau period is defined with swirling designs which often interlock with each other.
The first question is, which are Victorian and which are Art Nouveau? Which of these are actual belt buckles and which are not?
Take a guess at the buckles at the below picture before looking further down the page at the answers.
Top: Cloissonne buckle with glass stones and black belting: Victorian
2nd Row: Letter B Buckle: Art Nouveau
Square glittery buckle with black center: This is actually a steel cut Shoe Clip
3rd Row: Small glittery belt with prongs: This is a Victorian steel cut belt buckle
Two-toned buckle in gold and black, Victorian, as late as 1920's, part of a pair.
Heart shaped buckle: Mother of pearl backed in brass, Victorian. Part of a pair.
4th Row: Pair of glittery buckles: These are actually shoe clips, but sometimes people used them as buckles unintentionally and they are often misidentified. This pair is Victorian and is steel cut.
Gold Sash Pin on card: Buckle, Art Nouveau period
5th Row: Bow Pair: Probably pot metal, this is Victorian, but most likely a child's cape clasp.
Now how do you determine which item is a buckle, shoe clip or cape clasp? Look carefully at each piece and try to imagine where a ribbon would be threaded through the piece. I will have a more detailed tutorial at the end of this thread, so you can see the front and back of each piece side by side along with a designation of each piece so you can print it out for future reference when shopping.
Two pieces with one piece having a clasp, the other a catch with an area for the ribbon to be threaded through on each side. This is a buckle.
A single piece (or two pieces) which have a single piece of metal bar on the back for the ribbon to be threaded through without catching. This is a shoe clip. Another variation of this clip has a spring loaded clasp on the back to grab the shoe material. The back of the shoe clasp catches the underside of the material, with the metal sitting against the foot. The front of the piece usually has a decorative embellishment, and this sits on top of the shoe material.
A piece of jewelry with a metal bar and one or more pointed attachments. This is usually a sash or buckle, as the pointed end punctures the ribbon. Sometimes these pieces are decorative and actually don't puncture the ribbon, but allow the ribbon to weave through the design or else are decorative.
Two pieces of jewelry, with one piece having a clasp, and the other a catch. The jewelry attaches to the ribbon via sewing the jewelry onto textile. This can be a muddy area, with the jewelry either being a cape clasp or a buckle. For the sake of this thread, we'll define this item as a cape clasp and I will show you a few varations at the end of the yearly pictorial definitions.
A hat buckle, used for embellishment can be any of these items. Sample hat buckles will be shown later in this thread.
How many did you get right?
So, let's try something a little harder. Below is a Victorian Cloisonne Belt. How many ways can you tell it's a Victorian Belt?
Here's a picture of the back which might help you....see anything interesting? What do you see behind the other two buckle backs?
Here's what I see:
Victorian Cloisonne Belt:
1) The first clue I had this is Victorian is the metal settings of the colored glass. With so many teeth holding the cut glass embellishment, this tells me that this is a fine piece of jewelry and that this is typical of the era = excess of design.
2) The second clue I had that this is Victorian is the overlapping cloisonne pieces. Nicely done artwork, overlapping pieces of cloisonne, and the repetitive design in a floral manner - all high Victorian.
3) The third clue I had is on the back. Did you notice the back was as finely finished with engraving as the front was beautiful?
4) The fourth clue I had was the threads which basted the folded back belting. If you look carefully, you will see brown whipstiches (hard to see in the photo provided). But the thread is period correct, as is the color.
5) The black belting is correct for being Victorian.
6) The clasp on the belt is a much poorer quality than the front. This tells me the front was most likely an import, and the back was correct for multi-periods, but I assume the two pieces were put together at an import house.
What do you see for the clasp on the left?
If you look carefully, you will see that there are two loops which were sautered on the back of the metal. This was my key indicator that the left hand buckle set was in fact a clasp. You see, the loops are standard for attaching to the outside of a garment, so that the metal pieces stand away from the material. Therefore, the major indicator for this jewelry is the loops on the back, which tell how the piece was used. This was a combination of metallurgy and embellishment for determining the usage of this piece.
What do you see for the buckle on the right?
The buckle on the right has a cut brass clasp, one of two parts. This says that it's an actual buckle, not a different type of fashion accessory. By noting the pins holding the brass to the mother of pearl, it confirms the age of the piece. This piece could be as early as the late 1800's to as late as the 1920's, based on the brass on the back of the piece, its form and design. Therefore, metallurgy was the major deciding factor in how this piece was determined.
The Victorian period is defined with heavy embellishments with great detail and the Art Nouveau period is defined with swirling designs which often interlock with each other.
The first question is, which are Victorian and which are Art Nouveau? Which of these are actual belt buckles and which are not?
Take a guess at the buckles at the below picture before looking further down the page at the answers.
Top: Cloissonne buckle with glass stones and black belting: Victorian
2nd Row: Letter B Buckle: Art Nouveau
Square glittery buckle with black center: This is actually a steel cut Shoe Clip
3rd Row: Small glittery belt with prongs: This is a Victorian steel cut belt buckle
Two-toned buckle in gold and black, Victorian, as late as 1920's, part of a pair.
Heart shaped buckle: Mother of pearl backed in brass, Victorian. Part of a pair.
4th Row: Pair of glittery buckles: These are actually shoe clips, but sometimes people used them as buckles unintentionally and they are often misidentified. This pair is Victorian and is steel cut.
Gold Sash Pin on card: Buckle, Art Nouveau period
5th Row: Bow Pair: Probably pot metal, this is Victorian, but most likely a child's cape clasp.
Now how do you determine which item is a buckle, shoe clip or cape clasp? Look carefully at each piece and try to imagine where a ribbon would be threaded through the piece. I will have a more detailed tutorial at the end of this thread, so you can see the front and back of each piece side by side along with a designation of each piece so you can print it out for future reference when shopping.
Two pieces with one piece having a clasp, the other a catch with an area for the ribbon to be threaded through on each side. This is a buckle.
A single piece (or two pieces) which have a single piece of metal bar on the back for the ribbon to be threaded through without catching. This is a shoe clip. Another variation of this clip has a spring loaded clasp on the back to grab the shoe material. The back of the shoe clasp catches the underside of the material, with the metal sitting against the foot. The front of the piece usually has a decorative embellishment, and this sits on top of the shoe material.
A piece of jewelry with a metal bar and one or more pointed attachments. This is usually a sash or buckle, as the pointed end punctures the ribbon. Sometimes these pieces are decorative and actually don't puncture the ribbon, but allow the ribbon to weave through the design or else are decorative.
Two pieces of jewelry, with one piece having a clasp, and the other a catch. The jewelry attaches to the ribbon via sewing the jewelry onto textile. This can be a muddy area, with the jewelry either being a cape clasp or a buckle. For the sake of this thread, we'll define this item as a cape clasp and I will show you a few varations at the end of the yearly pictorial definitions.
A hat buckle, used for embellishment can be any of these items. Sample hat buckles will be shown later in this thread.
How many did you get right?
So, let's try something a little harder. Below is a Victorian Cloisonne Belt. How many ways can you tell it's a Victorian Belt?
Here's a picture of the back which might help you....see anything interesting? What do you see behind the other two buckle backs?
Here's what I see:
Victorian Cloisonne Belt:
1) The first clue I had this is Victorian is the metal settings of the colored glass. With so many teeth holding the cut glass embellishment, this tells me that this is a fine piece of jewelry and that this is typical of the era = excess of design.
2) The second clue I had that this is Victorian is the overlapping cloisonne pieces. Nicely done artwork, overlapping pieces of cloisonne, and the repetitive design in a floral manner - all high Victorian.
3) The third clue I had is on the back. Did you notice the back was as finely finished with engraving as the front was beautiful?
4) The fourth clue I had was the threads which basted the folded back belting. If you look carefully, you will see brown whipstiches (hard to see in the photo provided). But the thread is period correct, as is the color.
5) The black belting is correct for being Victorian.
6) The clasp on the belt is a much poorer quality than the front. This tells me the front was most likely an import, and the back was correct for multi-periods, but I assume the two pieces were put together at an import house.
What do you see for the clasp on the left?
If you look carefully, you will see that there are two loops which were sautered on the back of the metal. This was my key indicator that the left hand buckle set was in fact a clasp. You see, the loops are standard for attaching to the outside of a garment, so that the metal pieces stand away from the material. Therefore, the major indicator for this jewelry is the loops on the back, which tell how the piece was used. This was a combination of metallurgy and embellishment for determining the usage of this piece.
What do you see for the buckle on the right?
The buckle on the right has a cut brass clasp, one of two parts. This says that it's an actual buckle, not a different type of fashion accessory. By noting the pins holding the brass to the mother of pearl, it confirms the age of the piece. This piece could be as early as the late 1800's to as late as the 1920's, based on the brass on the back of the piece, its form and design. Therefore, metallurgy was the major deciding factor in how this piece was determined.
Hi, your information is fascinating, and with the pictures, entertainingly educational! I was wondering, as I have several of these older cut steel shoe clips, how does one have it re-silvered if there has been rust, or the original steel silver coloration has blackened? I have a few brown ones too, and actually boiled the finish off one in my experimentations. This may not be an area you cover, just thought I'd ask since your site covers these. Thanks! Buckle Fan
Posted by: Kayce Glasse | November 26, 2008 at 05:02 PM