Accidental Collections: Belt Buckles and Other Closures

 Another collection inherited from Grandma Blanche:  an assortment of celluloid, metal, mother-of-pearl and plastic belt buckles.  These were saved from garments long since gone.  Grandma kept these in wooden box. I would say these are from a time period ranging from the 1920s to the 1970s.  One of these, the very tarnished, possibly silver-plated, rectangular buckle in the centre is a man's belt buckle monogrammed with the letter 'E'.  It must have belonged to my grandfather, Edgar, known as Ed. 

I do not have an array of stories or eloquent things to say about these objects; I simply wanted to share these photographs of these beautiful things.

The colours of these old celluloid buckles are lovely - so rich and fruity.  There is a depth and translucency to the colours that you do not  find in today's plastics. The red prism shaped piece on the bottom left has a hook on the back that would fit into the belt holes.

The large circular blue piece on the top right is actually a button, but I liked this composition of blues. On the top left is a sort of bar closure, perhaps for a sweater or jacket.

Two very elegant leafy buckles.  The bottom buckle is brass.  The top buckle is quite exquisite - it is brass, and carved wood.

This black and white floral celluloid buckle, of perhaps poppies, was always one of my very favourite buckles.  It hooks together, though the mechanism is not visible in the photograph.  It must have come from the belt of a dress or coat; there is also a set of matching buttons.