If the last buckle was Hemingway, this one is pure Hunter S. Thompson: loud, flashy, and not afraid to splash color where it counts. An oval buckle etched in bright silver-tone metal, it features a leaping fish with bold inlay work — jet-black accents, a shimmer of shell, and turquoise-blue pops of water that look like they were stolen straight from the Rio Grande.

Stamped only with the mysterious initials “CB” on the back, it’s got that perfect “is it an obscure Southwest silversmith, or a ranch hand with a grinder and a dream?” energy. Either way, this piece has presence. It doesn’t whisper “I fish.” It yells it across the bar.

• Silver-tone base with turquoise and shell inlay

• Back marked “CB”

• Used, with some surface wear but stones intact and gleaming

• Standard oval buckle size, built for a belt that can take a story or two