2025 Buckle Design Contest

2025 People's Choice Winner: Saltwater Steed

Designer's inspiration behind the design: 

"I grew up on the windswept coast of North Carolina on Roanoke Island, illustrating horses as I embarked on my path as an artist. Art was always central to who I am. At 17, I left home to study illustration in Savannah, but a jewelry class changed everything—metal became my new canvas. For decades, my husband and I have crafted together, honing the art of goldsmithing and engraving. In 2008, I studied hand engraving, where drawing and metalwork beautifully merged. My jewelry began to tell stories—of mermaids, waves, gardens, and eventually, horses. In 2022, I adopted Indie, a rescued Appaloosa, inspiring my first horse medallion. When I discovered Montana Silversmiths’ buckle competition a few months ago, I saw the perfect chance to unite my coastal roots with the wild freedom of a galloping horse. Waves crash, wind whips, hooves thunder across wet sand. That’s the spirit I carved into this design—where strength meets beauty, and stories are etched in silver and soul."

2025 Engraver's Choice Winnter: Pushin' Up Dasies