Some of our first buckles were made for Gary Cooper and Stein Erickson among others in the dawn of Aspen as a ski town after the 1949 FIS races.

Over the years, our Aspen leaves have became a sign of  fraternity among members of the local community, the international skiing community, and everyone whose heart sings with the mountains or who has a special attachment to Aspen.

From National leaders of State and business, celebrities, renowned ski racers,  local mountain men and women. With our Aspen leaf, you declare that you belong.

Our business has by turns survived and thrived, and is today imbedded in the history of Aspen itself. Our jewelry has gone to World Cup ski racers, Winterskol Queens, Fire Department heroes, Roche Cup winners, and thousands of local and international personalities.

Established in 1949, Hayes Co. created the first Aspen Leaf jewelry line and belt buckles, and they are still made by the same family of craftsmen today, spanning 60 years of Aspen History.


Jess Bates with her brother on an Aspen street 1965

Why are Hayes items so expensive?
Why do they last so long?

Both of these answers relate to our high standards of craftsmanship and commitment to quality. Our belt buckles and other items are not cast metal, they are hand wrought and work-hardened; a process which makes them exceptionally durable (but time consuming to create).

Gold and silver have the wonderful property of being malleable; the ability to deform under compressive stress. As the metal is compressed, it undergoes changes in it's molecular shape (see explanation to the right) which make it more durable and resistant to wear.

We start our belt buckles from 1.5mm rolled sheet and wire which is already tempered and tensioned from the rolling process under huge presses at the metal refinery. This gives us a very dense metal to begin with.

The buckle shapes are cut and filed by hand

Then the plates are hammered into a beautiful curve. This further compresses and tensions the metal.

The Aspen leaves are each created individually and hand engraved with steel chisels and a pneumatic hammer which leaves a hardened, compressed groove on the surface, resistant to wear.

All our Aspen Leaf jewelry is unconditionally lifetime guaranteed. Our belt buckles have survived house fires, motorcycle crashes, and multiple generations of daily wear. They are treasures and heirlooms, and over time will bear all the marks of your life.

Gold and silver in a raw, un-worked state (such as cast or plated metal) has a rounded molecular structure. Consequently, the contact points with other molecules is slight, and individual molecules are easily picked off by abrasion and lost (wear).

Un-worked metal is also somewhat porous; there are gaps between the uncompressed molecules. This makes the metal brittle and prone to breaking. It lacks tensile strength.

When malleable metal is compressed (hammered, rolled, etc) the molecules flatten and elongate, and several things happen:

1. The most important change is that the molecules now have much greater surface contact with one another, and they are not so easily scraped off by abrasion.
2. The larger surface tension makes the metal more resistant to bending, so it is less easily dented.
3. The metal becomes more dense as gaps between the molecules are squeezed out.

__________________________________________

We achieve a flawless surface by painstakingly cross filing of the convex shape. and pre-buffing for 40 minutes by hand.



The buckle is assembled with high-temperature welding (1200 degrees F) which results in an indestructible, permanent bond.

Finally, the buckle is boiled in acid to clean it and hand-buffed for another 30 minutes to achieve a deep polish. But the truth is; our Aspen Leaves become MORE beautiful with daily use and abuse. They are the most durable belt buckles that you will find.