Thanks, Matt. I did read about his production methods on your site, and found his site, too. I figured he had to use the same cast for the belt and buckle to meet the price, and thus considerable "requirements" would necessitate substantial fees. Understandable, really.

Funny enough, this is the same silver smith that I bought my badge from about 15 years ago. The Gaelic misspelling notwithstanding, it's a really nice badge, and I've never thought about replacing it. I personally feel that the crest badge is seriously misrepresented, given its considerable symbolic meaning and the commercial marketing of the badges almost as trinkets. Just another twist in the knot of the Scottish traditional dress market...


Quote Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome View Post
I'm going to answer your question by saying it likely depends on how much you want to spend. If you read about his production methods on our site, he actually casts the crest seperately from the strap and buckle. Then the two are soldered together. He does this for a variety of reasons, but one of them is because he can use the same strap and buckle design on all the badges.

So if you had a particular design you wanted for the strap and buckle, no doubt he would have to charge more, because he'd have to create a new mold just for you.

And about the repair work you, I'd have to ask. PM or email me if you'd like me to find out for you.