Shine On

Use these tips to keep your Gist Silversmiths buckle shining bright.

By Megan Arszman

OU’VE WORKED SO HARD FOR THAT PRECIOUS

MEMENTO. It is presented to you in a burgundy box with gold lettering.

You immediately adorn your waist with your own Gist Silversmiths belt buckle and it’s hard to tell which is shining brighter—the silver glistening on your belt or your smile. Here’s how to make that shine last forever.

Just as you’ve spent a lot of time in the saddle to earn that buckle, a lot of work has gone into creating it. A Gist belt buckle is constructed for durability and to be worn for years. However, there comes a time when the silver starts to tarnish, and you must bring back that sparkle. Below is expert advice on cleaning buckles and making them last a lifetime.

➤  INSPECT THE BUCKLE’S

MATERIAL

The materials used to make your Gist buckle determine how you should clean it. Wende Heinen, director of sales for Gist Silversmiths, advises checking the back of your buckle to see how it’s made. “Much of the cleaning process is determined by buckle material type,” said Heinen. “We go by those materials when we recommend how to best clean our buckles, and the materials are generally listed on the back of the buckle.” ➤ Silver and Gold Electroplate: Many award buckles are crafted from non-precious metals and then finished with a silver and/or gold electroplate (and those rarely have material markings). They are the easiest to keep glistening because the protective coating adds a lasting shine. Use only a soft cloth with some mild soap and warm water to keep the buckle clean. ➤ Sterling Overlay ( listed as “Sierra Silver” on older buckles) and Jewelers Bronze: Gist recommends using a soft cloth with mild soap and warm water for basic cleaning. You can also use a light sudsy ammonia cleaner or a mild sterling silver liquid cleaner. Apply these two cleaners gently with a soft bristled toothbrush, rinse with warm water and then dry with a soft cloth. Gist warns to be careful around the popular paint and resin accents, as liquid cleaner might dilute the paint color. ➤ Sterling Overlay, Sterling Silver, 1/10 Karat Gold, All Karat Golds: You may use a liquid jewelry cleaner, polishing cloth or light sudsy ammonia, rinse with warm water and dry with a soft cloth.

➤  STEER CLEAR OF CERTAIN CLEANERS “Soft Cloth” Clarified

You hear all the time to use a “soft cloth” when polishing silver. However, not every rag is considered a soft cloth. For example, that terry-cloth towel haphazardly thrown into your tack box, dotted with straw and colored with face polish is not a soft cloth to clean your belt buckle.

A soft cloth for polishing silver doesn’t have a lot of “nap” to it. Nap is the texture of the fabric and is used to describe how the fibers align. Fabric with nap is more raised and fuzzier compared to fabric without nap. Flannel or a jersey material is considered a soft cloth because those fabrics don’t tend to scratch surfaces or your skin like burlap or a beach towel.

Heinen strongly suggests not using aerosol silver cleaners or silver polish pastes on buckles. Pastes can cake into the textured surfaces and crevices and are difficult to remove.

“Abrasive jewelry cleaners have grit in them, and when a buckle is hand engraved, continually scrubbing with an abrasive element will eventually wear down the engraving pattern,” said Heinen. “So, your buckle loses its pristine sparkle—light hitting those cuts in the background silver gives that ‘bling’, so-to-speak.”

Heinen has been presented with buckles that have an odd white crust on crevices and in the engraving, with the owner frantic to remove that crust. Most times, it’s from a paste silver polish or toothpaste the owner has tried to use, and the paste is not able to be thoroughly rinsed off.

“Toothpaste is abrasive, so it’ll wear down the engraving as well as get in all the nooks and crannies of your buckle,” said Heinen. “Anything with grit or that is a paste is not recommended for our buckles.”

The buckle on the right has darkened over time with no cleaning, especially compared to the buckle on the left that is fairly new and worn regularly.

➤  PROUDLY DISPLAY YOUR BUCKLE

Gist Silversmiths buckles are meant to show to the world your accomplishments, which is why they’re made of quality materials. Whether that display is on your waist, on the wall, in a case or on a bookshelf, your buckles are bound to tarnish.

If you display your buckles in your home, Heinen points out that it can be more difficult to keep your precious metal buckles bright.

“Displayed buckles are more exposed to the elements, so if they’re not plated, they’re going to tarnish,” she explained. “You just need to be vigilant about keeping them fairly cleaned, maybe once a month. The longer you wait to polish your buckles, the darker the tarnish becomes and the harder it is to get the buckle back to its original luster.”

How quickly your buckle tarnishes depends on your location. If you are in a humid climate, silver overlay and sterling buckles will tarnish faster. However, you can see the tarnish process happen in dry climate, except it’s just slower.

“That’s part of having silver,” said Heinen. “You should clean it.”

If you’re not wearing your buckle, storing it out of the elements will help maintain the shine, adds Heinen.

➤  WHEN IT DOUBT,

TRUST GIST

If you’re concerned about bringing that sparkle back to your beloved buckle or something happened to damage your buckle, contact Gist Silversmiths to discuss what they can do to help bring it back to life. Depending on the materials and style, a buckle can be re-plated, cleaned or even reshaped for a nominal fee. The artists and cleaners will evaluate the needs of your buckle and give you an estimate before starting the work.

“We’ll do our best to accommodate any refurbishing needed on a Gist buckle; however, there is a limit to what our artisans can do,” said Heinen. “But, most of all, we just want you to wear your buckles with pride and love those buckles to death. They’re made to be worn and to show your hard won accomplishments.”

MEGAN ARZMAN

A buckle will include a maker’s mark on the backside. 5 Ways to Keep That Shine

Caring for your Gist Silversmiths belt buckle is easy, whether you want to keep with the aged, patina look, or you hope to always have that new-buckle shine. Gist shares five ways to keep the shine throughout a buckle’s life.

MEGAN ARZMAN

1. Store in a dry environment: Humidity is the No. 1 threat to your buckle’s shine. Avoid storing buckles in your trailer’s tack compartment or in your bathroom where humidity lingers. 2. Zip it up: When storing your buckle, remove it from your belt and then place it in a plastic zippered bag, removing all the air before closing. Then place it in a dark, safe location such as your dresser or closet. 3. Spray window cleaner: Window cleaner is essentially a sudsy ammonia product that helps remove dirt and tarnish. Wipe off the window cleaner with a soft, non-abrasive cloth. 4. Try a jeweler’s cloth: This soft, nonabrasive polishing cloth contains a non-abrasive polish on one side for shine, and the other side removes the tarnish. Typically made of microfiber, cloths can be found anywhere that sells jewelry. 5. Don’t polish with paste: Stay away from pastes, such as silver polish or toothpaste, as they are difficult to fully remove from a buckle’s intricate engraving.