An 18,000 dollars platinum Belt Buckle is available from the small men’s accessories Boutique, Kale Miles.

Oh and they throw in the belt for free.

Designer Kristina Pitaniello and co-founder of Kale Miles, Bill Miles, were asked recently how come their belt cost more than a small car, or 400 times more than the $45 version from Banana Republic.

It seems the bulk of the price comes from the buckle. It is pure platinum, about seven-to-eight ounces??? worth. Currently, an ounce of platinum is $1555. If the price goes up or down in a day, that changes the cost of the belt.

It takes about three weeks for Pitaniello to make the buckle in a Boston workshop and each one is unique.

Platinum belt buckles are not new. They have been used by the elite for ages serving as a fashion accessory as well as functional.

If you want a platinum belt buckle you would order over the phone giving your measurements, adding an extra couple of inches to the exact size, If a belt is made a bit to large it can be adjusted but if it is too small, it has to be redone over.

Platinum is 90 to 95 percent pure and usually has ruthenium added to increase its strength and durability. It is hypoallergenic and withstands tarnishing much better than silver.

Most belts are made up of several layers of leather stitched and glued but the Kale Miles belt is made of one strip of leather and expected to retain its shape for many years.

So if you have a spare 18,000 dollars for a platinum belt buckle, you know where to go now!

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 at 7:41 am.