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Engraver & Silversmith, Clint Orms
146 Plays2 years ago
BONUS EPISODE - The Legendary Clint Orms took time to sit down with host Taylor McAdams during the Western and English Sales Association (WESA) show to look back on his career and life and share stories from his humble beginnings. World-renowned, Clint is known for his jewelry, quality engraved Western ranger buckles, trophy buckles, dress buckles, money clips, cufflinks, and more. Listen as he shares his story to success in Western, Ag, and Rodeo.
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Transcript
Podcast Introduction
00:00:01
Speaker
You're listening to the Kick Your Boots Up podcast, where we swap stories of the West. Whether you're just waking up or getting in for the day, come on in and kick your boots up.
00:00:18
Speaker
Hi,
Special Luisa Edition Introduction
00:00:18
Speaker
everybody, and thank you for joining us on a special Luisa edition of the Kick Your Boots Up podcast. We're so excited to be in the legendary Clint Orms showroom. Gasp, I know. I wish you could feel the energy in here. So many hours of dedication of knowledge and silversmith and craftsmith. Wow, I'm fangirling a little bit here. So thank you, Clint, for taking the time to be with us. This is so fun. Sailors, thanks a lot for having us.
00:00:44
Speaker
You know, I have so many questions for you personally, but I feel like we better stick to a little bit of a timeline since we have this podcast.
Clint Orms' Background and Craft
00:00:51
Speaker
But I guess to get us started, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started in the industry, how you found Silversmith and how it became a part of who you are today.
00:01:00
Speaker
Well, I grew up just north of Fort Worth in a little town called Wichita Falls. And my dad worked in a western store there. And so that store was called the Cal Lot. And that Fleming, in my opinion, was one of the greatest guys in the western wear business because he loved to fit cowboy boots. And that was really what he was known for. If he came in there, he wouldn't let you leave until he fit you in a pair of boots. And that's where I kind of learned the art of
00:01:27
Speaker
making something special for someone. Even though he had a pair of boots that were on the shelf, he could really make them special for you because he made them fit for you before you left. And it was a great experience. My dad worked there, and then later on my brother worked there, and then that was the first store that started selling my belts when I was 13 years old. And so they did custom made, I was taught how to make belts.
00:01:52
Speaker
and do the custom hand tool, you know, and the cow I started selling them. And so that really kind of set me on the path of wanting to make custom pieces for people and pieces that were extra special. And I can't help but stop at that 13 years old. What is that like having started so young and becoming who you are today and just all the growth, the growing pains that you've experienced through all that? What is that like? Well, you know, I love the Western business. You know, I think
00:02:21
Speaker
almost everybody in the world wanted to have a pair of cowboy boots. I got to grow up with my dad being a rodeo judge and a rodeo competitor, and so I got to be around all these really great cowboys. I wanted to be able to fit in that industry somewhere.
00:02:40
Speaker
So I started rodeoing. My dad took me to rodeos, and we had friends who went to rodeos when we started, like, at seven years old and did the Lord British thing. And then when I got to be a little older, I, like I said, was taught how to start making belts. And that's kind of what got me started.
00:02:58
Speaker
What evolved that is incredible and having that experience too that I think just adds to it because having that rodeo background where you started so young you understand the need first of all that your clients need so that's incredible and kind of moving on your your buckles are very iconic they have their own style tell us a little about the middle the minimalism there and the designs that you choose
00:03:19
Speaker
Well, all my designs, I believe, are really influenced from the buckles back in the 20s and the 30s. And I believe the crafts from back then just took a lot of time with the designs and with the handwork and the engraving. And back then, the buckles were all made from solid gold and solid silver. And
Material Choices: Gold and Silver
00:03:38
Speaker
when I started our company, that's what I was gonna do, is just use solid gold and solid silver on the buckles. And then if you use those materials,
00:03:50
Speaker
be a family heirloom and they're gonna live really good in a hundred years from now. I couldn't agree more in hearing stories and seeing people's wedding rings, their buckles that they've earned. I mean it doesn't matter they're wearing so-and-so for you know their grandfather, dads, bolo ties, things like that. That is so iconic and what's it mean to you then to have, you mentioned the family heirlooms, to be a part of their families now. They've invited you into their homes almost. What's that mean?
00:04:14
Speaker
It's just so great. It's a thing that you can keep those family stories going on. You know, some of my friends, when I was very young, they received their grandfather's buckles when they passed. And I got to see how special that was for them. And when they picked up the buckle every day and they put it on, they put on a part of their grandpa and carried on. And it's probably the most important thing for me
00:04:42
Speaker
is to be able to pass some of those positive affirmations from a gift. Oh, yes. And family is key. And so that's very beautiful that you've been able to kind of take a full circle with the relationship that you had with your dad and pour it into your craft today. And you mentioned earlier a little bit about the changes you've seen in the 20s, 30s. So let's kind of live there for a second. Let's talk through the changes. What have you seen all across your career? What do you look forward to in the future? Just tell us all of it.
00:05:09
Speaker
Well, you know, I just think, you know, the handmade part of the world has always been appreciated. And that's why it was, you know, way back in the earlier years of my career, the craftsmen just took so much pride in what they did. And I see that now even with the other craftsmen coming along.
00:05:33
Speaker
With the ability to learn, I think I can see them really appreciating the handmade part of the products. So just over the years, it's just great to see people still appreciating and knowing that somebody really sat there for hours and worked on that piece. It's really what makes our work fun.
00:05:55
Speaker
It's kind of humbling, I can tell. It's very surreal to think about. And you mentioned earlier that you had a goal to only do silver and gold, the real true metals. So talk to us about that. Where do you get your metals from and go through all of this process there? Yeah, I can't tell you exactly where they came out of the ground. But we buy them from different metal suppliers for the jewelry industry. And they come out of Louisiana and out of New Mexico. But I'm sure the metals comes from all over.
00:06:26
Speaker
Oh yeah, it definitely doesn't. You have such good quality, so maybe talk through a little bit about the quality of the jewels, the quality of the metals you're using too. Well that's something else that's been a great journey in our career. My wife Roxy and I really travel the world to see different stone cutters and to be able to buy some of the best stones that we can buy.
00:06:50
Speaker
And when we set our stones, we set them just the same way a Cartier diamond setter would set his pave diamonds or in a piece of a jewelry. And that's really important to me, too, that you could take our buckles anywhere in the world and they can, anyone could look at the stones and look at the setting and see that we really took the time to put good products into it.
00:07:13
Speaker
And one thing I noticed too, we were talking a little bit before we started recording the podcast. You're talking to the legendary Tom Feller here with Justin, telling about all the different rodeos that you've gotten to make buckles for. So you mentioned Rodeo Houston, and that's a huge, iconic one. A lot of rodeos spend all their time and money hoping to make it to Rodeo Houston. What's it mean to you then to have these larger rodeos, and rodeos in general, having to be, you know, you're the creator of their award, their buckle that they earned, they worked hard for. What's that mean?
00:07:40
Speaker
Well, it means a lot, you know, because these radios, it's not easy, an easy business to be in, you know, to create a radio and keep it going on.
00:07:50
Speaker
you really have to work at it. And to keep the stands full, keep the people there, and to be able to represent the Western industry, you really have to work at it. So making the buckles for Houston was a great experience and I've been able to do. And Houston is a real special rodeo. You know, I know they have over 40,000 volunteers, and they're all professional people that really take their time out of their
00:08:19
Speaker
a career to come in and work for the Houston Rodeo. And people come from all over the world to study the Houston Rodeo because it's such a successful event. And if you haven't been there, I'll be gone. Houston is another really super special place for me because when I started my company, two months after I started my company, I was in Houston.
00:08:42
Speaker
showing my products there and I was invited to come there with the ML Letties out of Fort Worth and we were showing my products there and my wife actually came up and introduced herself and bought a belt buckle and that's how I met her. So going back to Houston is always a great thing for me and this will be my 31st year to go back.
00:09:05
Speaker
What an incredible, neat, cute, as we would say now a day on how you met your wife. That is so beautiful. I'm
Family and Custom Creations
00:09:11
Speaker
glad that everyone got to hear it here. And I have so many questions about that. But my first question that comes to mind is how, I mean, since you, she went and bought a belt buckle the first time you met her. Have you made anything special for her custom since then?
00:09:22
Speaker
Yeah, oh yeah. Tell us about this piece. Probably not as many as I probably would have liked to make, but probably some really great bracelets and some different buckles for that are really special. And then it's been fun, like with my son, he's 24 years old now, but he used to come to the shop and my daughter would come to the shop and we would make pieces together for her.
00:09:43
Speaker
We would just do what they could do on them and just hammer them and beat them and turn them into buckles. And some of those pieces are real special because, you know, they didn't have the skill level when they were super young. But we just, we made do and turned out something really great for her. And there again, you know, you have to.
00:10:01
Speaker
You have to hope it's really super special now when she picks it up and puts it on and remembers when Clayton and Mary made them when they were just little kids. Little youngsters and probably for Mother's Day and different holidays like that, that is, those are timeless pieces. I'm so glad you shared that with us and I can't help but wonder too, like how many people out there have continued to, like we talked about earlier, the heirlooms, the family aspect there, but I'm curious, did you, have you continued to train your kids since then? Have you continued to, you know, they started when they were younger just for fun? Do they know the trade?
00:10:30
Speaker
They do know it pretty good and they both just graduated from college and they're out in their own careers, which is really great. That's kind of what a way we planned it from the start that they would step out and go out and do their careers and we'll see if they circle back in.
00:10:46
Speaker
That's right. Once they live life a little bit, experience the world. And before we go, I just have one more question for you. What is the most challenging process? Because this is, I mean, hours and hours and hours, depending on the piece, depending on a simple or more intricate. What do you think is the hardest, most time consuming piece going into any of your designs? Yeah.
00:11:03
Speaker
Well, you know, sometimes just trying to figure out exactly what the person wants to do with the buckle and how they want that to accent their personality. Because it is an accessory that I believe a man or a lady can actually wear every day. You know, they can wear it with different outfits and they can just, you know, wear the buckle everywhere.
00:11:24
Speaker
I mean, the buckle that Tom Feller was wearing earlier, I mean, that says everything about Tom. Is this a great piece? And it's a buckle that anyone would love to wear. I didn't make it, but it's a really terrific buckle, and it really sets off his personality, and it kind of shows Tom.
00:11:44
Speaker
Oh yeah, and that's what's fun that you get to kind of, without even knowing the customer sometimes, you get to kind of give them a piece of their style that they're going into. And since we're here at WISA talking about fashion, what are some trends that you are seeing personally within your business that you're really hoping does good in the future or is currently doing well that you've seen a lot of walking around?
00:12:02
Speaker
Well, the one-piece buckle, and we call them a trophy buckle, seem to be coming back and being really super popular now. I mean, that's the buckle that was given back in the 20s and the 30s in the rodeo era, and it's a beautiful
00:12:19
Speaker
But you can see in the fashion world, even like Ralph Lauren is pulling out some buckles like that from the past and bringing them up and you'll see them in fashion shoots all over the world.
00:12:33
Speaker
That's about to feel so iconic. So being new to the company, I've seen a lot of pictures in the archives at Justin. There's so many different aspects of the company, but one is particularly dealing with WISA and the salesman and everything here. The salesman of the year buckles for Justin Brands, they're iconic. I've seen pictures of them, the detailing, the time, and it's kind of a two-fold here because you put time and effort into these buckles.
00:12:56
Speaker
and then they put time and effort into earning the title of Salesman of the Year. So, talk to us about those buckles and what it's like being a part of that. It was really exciting when I got to call to make those buckles because I love that Justin takes care of the Cowboys. You know, I mean, with Justin Sports Medicine, it's just remarkable the program that you guys have had and the longevity of that program. It's
Salesman of the Year Buckles
00:13:20
Speaker
just served so many people well.
00:13:23
Speaker
And so when I got the opportunity to highlight the salesmen for the company Justin, it was a great opportunity to pull out some great designs and make a super classic buckle which is Justin. It's just a great classic company and it's been around forever and they do more than just make boots. And so it was a great thing for me to be able to be a part of and just
00:13:51
Speaker
So what I tried to do with that buckle is, you know, back again, just use our solid principles and keep it pretty simple. But we did some really nice field of green work on the buckle and I did a combination of three different golds on it and hopefully made the cells really proud because it's just great to the work that those guys do and it's not easy being a salesman out there.
00:14:16
Speaker
You're exactly right, it's not. We mentioned family a little bit, and that's so cool. Thank you for having your family be a part of our family. It seems like a natural tie, but I know it goes a long way here at Justin Brand's. Thanks. Clint, it has been iconic, legendary, humbling, all of the words to have been able to sit down at a table and take a little bit of your time to get to know your story. Thank
Closing and Gratitude
00:14:37
Speaker
you. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart, from the bottom of the listener's heart. We're so inspired by your work. Continue to keep going, and again, thank you so much for letting us take your time.
00:14:46
Speaker
You bet. I hope that the best is to come.