Description
Large Pat Areias Southwest Sterling ranger belt buckle set 1.5" with Jeweler's<br>Bronze accents. Large and heavy ranger set that's never been put on a belt,<br>never worn. Retails for $810 directly from Pat Areias in this size. 133.8 grams,<br>very slight shelf wear from being stored for 5-10 years. Fits a 1.5" leather<br>belt.<br>A hand-pierced golden overlay, simply decorates this classic Santa Fe style.<br>Wear it fashionably from NY to Santa Fe.<br><br><br>Each piece of Pat Areias's artistry is hand rendered, one by one. As such, they<br>may be similar, but they are not the same. “The essence of hand fabrication,"<br>Areias says, “is that every piece is made by an artisan as an original."<br><br>Using a jewelry saw, buckles are cut by hand out of sheet silver and hand<br>forged, then dapped and individually chased and soldered to produce her finished<br>works.<br><br>Pat Areias Sterling began in 1987 in Cuernavaca, Mexico, with the introduction<br>of a three-piece buckle set which became the foundation of the designer's<br>business. Two years later, she added silver jewelry to her collection.<br>Reminiscent of the Art Deco era, her designs are marked by a contemporary style.<br><br>Though she was born and raised in the San Joaquin Valley to third generation<br>Portuguese dairy farmers, she pursued her interest in the traditions of her<br>Latin descent by studying the Portuguese and Spanish cultures, arts and<br>languages at the University of California at Santa Barbara.<br><br>While subsequently serving in the Peace Corps throughout Central and South<br>America, she had occasion to apprentice with both silver and leather craftsmen<br>of Ecuador and Mexico. Something inside beckoned her to pursue the artistry on<br>her own.<br><br>Areias's designs are a true reflection of her love and appreciation for both<br>Latin and Scandinavian aesthetics, dating back to an era of silver designers<br>from the 1930s and 1940s which originated in Denmark. As silver became scarce<br>during World War II, argent veins running through Mexico lured Danish designers<br>to the area, where their pure designs and silversmithing finesse were shared<br>with the native craftsmen.<br><br>"The Danish designers," she says, "have both a sincere affinity for the arts and<br>an eye for contemporary lines which brings out the best of the silver. I have a<br>great love and respect for this style of silversmithing. It is the inspiration<br>for my own creativity which, when forged with the Latin influence of my<br>heritage, emerges in my signature designs."<br><br>While in Mexico, Areias met and married her husband, Fred Sanchez, a mechanical<br>engineer who has since abandoned his business to become fully involved in Pat<br>Areias Sterling.<br>Vr accessories and specialized customer service has proved a successful<br>combination for the growing company.<br>tw208
