Today, the western belt buckle is popular as a fashion accessory. From the president of the United States to Texas oil millionaires to well dressed businessmen and women, the belt buckle represents a way to set off an outfit with flair and style. But like many fashion items, the belt buckle started out as a practical invention. A belt buckle is a clasp used to fasten two ends of a belt. An Italian blacksmith in the sixteenth century, Tomaso Kellioni, is often credited with the “invention” of the belt buckle as a way of fastening belts, boots and shoes. Actually the history of the belt buckle is much longer and buckles have been found from the Asian Bronze age, thousands of years before the birth of Christ.