I am so happy to have found Denise Saffren and her beautifully cast and equally cheeky belt buckles. With both wit and talent, she has managed to create some very fine and very fun functional pieces of art.
She casts in everything from solid sterling silver to white bronze and brass. Some of her pieces have inlays of stone or glass and she does custom work as well.
Her belt buckle designs vary from tattoo and seventies inspired imagery (you know..... mud flap girls, trucks, skulls, flaming hearts, vegas , etc) and has the requisite new age imagery (fairies and mermaids) to my personal favorite....the "chastity' belt buckle.
Just take a look:
From her own site:
Denise Saffren is a professional sculptor in the corporate world.
Welcome to her escape.
In 2000, having little time to create anything bigger than a buckle, she decided to start her own buckle line. In 2001, her first series of buckles were created for her company All-Ready Design. As the buckles began to sell, she decided that this would be the perfect way to feed her own creative yearnings, on her own terms and on her own time.
Since then she has created over 20 buckles for her own line and various custom buckles for Singer/Songwriter Alana Davis, Lukaro Hair Salon in Beverly Hills, Tsunami Sushi, and Delicious Vinyl. Many celebrities own her buckles...P!nk, Linda Perry, Gina Gershon, Jorja Fox, Paul Stanley, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kid Rock and Kat Von D from Miami Ink. Denise has donated many buckles to Heal the Bay, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Hudson River Foundation, among other charities. As of 2006, she started to brand her buckles with her own name and signature, DENISE.
Before now, you could only buy her buckles either by bumping into her on the street or at Firefly on Abbot Kinney in Venice,CA, Ragg Mopp on Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake or at the Abbot Kinney Street Festival where she has been a staple for 6 years.
New designs are always on the horizon, so please sign the mailing list or check back often for her latest creations. Coming Soon! New and matching pendants for some of her favorite buckles! Plus new buckles.
you can reach the artist at her e-mail: info@denisesaffren.com
Buy them here.