Clint Orms loves Texas and the traditional cowboy heritage that has made Texas a place of worldwide legend. He has found a unique way to help preserve and promote that cowboy tradition: he makes, at his little shop in the Ingram Loop, some of the most intricately-carved and highly-prized silver belt buckles in the world. For those who like to say “they don’t make them like they used to,” we point to Clint Orms and say, “Yes, they do! And maybe even better!”

Clint was born in Wichita Falls in 1958. His father had been a participant and a judge at local rodeos, and although he made his living selling western wear, he kept horses and encouraged Clint to ride. “I don’t deserve to be called a cowboy, myself,” he says, smiling. “But I was inspired by being around a lot of good cowboys.” His father had many connections in the “western” industry, and Clint rode broncs and bulls in rodeos until he was “17 or 18.” As a teenager, he learned to tool leather from well-known sculptor and saddlemaker Buck Bromley (Clint’s friend, Bret Collier, learned with him; Collier now is a partner in Big Bend Saddlery, of Alpine), and made a part-time business out of selling hand-tooled belts. It bothered Orms to think that his handiwork would wear out and be thrown away; he decided to work on something that would endure.

Growing up in Texas, and associating with cowboys, Orms had seen many classic belt buckles which were treasured by the cowboys who wore them, and were handed down from generation to generation. That was the kind of heirloom that Clint Orms wanted to create.

For about 17 years, he studied engraving under some of the best silversmiths in the world – from California to Nevada, to Australia and back to Texas. He finally started his own business in Dallas in 1994. One of his best customers was the famous boot-and-saddlemaker, M.L. Leddy (originally from Brady) who did a lot of business at the Houston Livestock Show. O ...

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