Neil has always enjoyed combining different metals in his buckles and has gone “all-the-way” with his fusion of styles, materials, influences, inspirations, and aspirations. This series of unique, hand-crafted buckles is inspired from aesthetics as varied as Japanese and Scandinavian to Western cowboy and Southwestern Indian designs.

The mosaics of this fusion of metals is especially intriguing as Neil incorporates not only Mokume gane, which itself is a married metal, he then adds sterling silver and sometimes brass, gold, and shakudo. Mokume gane is Japanese for “wood grained metals,” which is a metal made from diffusion bonded laminates. Shakudo is a Japanese alloy formulated for a special patina. Both of these Japanese metals are commonly used in decorating swords.

We called them The Fusion Series because of the obvious fusing of metals, but also for the more subtle fusion of East and West, classic and traditional, complex and elegant. Neil hand-crafted each of these pieces from metal plate, bar, and wire – and each is uniquely sculpted, acid etched and patinated. They are true wearable art, and make great gifts for retirement, graduation, and more.