Buckles from 'Down Under' by Bob Berg

The beautiful buckle craftsmanship of Bob Berg

A spectacular career as a bronc-rider from Australia is hardly the background one would expect for someone who designs the most exquisite jewelry, belt buckles and an outstanding trophy worth $250,000, but Bob Berg is both of these.

He has designed custom buckles for such notables as Tanya Tucker, George Strait, Tuff Hedeman, and Ted Turner just to name a few, and no wonder people clamor for his designs. You have to see them to believe them. Bob designs them in the tri-colored gold-rose, green, and yellow gold. His settings are heavy, done in sterling silver, hand-crafted and signed on the back.

Quite a unique business for this rodeo cowboy from "down under."

Bob was born in Finley, New South Wales, Australia in 1952 and lived in Queensland until he was eight. When his family moved to the south of Australia, Bob's dad introduced him to rodeos.

"From there," Bob says, "it wasn't long before I was mutton busting (riding sheep, a children's event).

Not long after, it was steers and bulls, barebacks and, in the end, it was bronc-riding. Part of the time when he was beginning to rodeo, he worked for a saddler, learning how to handstitch and tool the leather. He left school when he was 17 to pursue his rodeo career and ended up in America in 1971. He had already been named Rookie of the Year and Bull-Riding Champ in New Zealand.

Two weeks after his debut in America, he landed wrong on his leg and broke it. While recuperating, he was first introduced to silversmithing. He also did some saddlery, and eventually returned to the rodeo circuit. But he had seen the buckles and jewelry offered to the winners of the rodeos and they just weren't what he thought they should be.

With borrowed equipment, he first began designing his own creations, still rodeoing and doing his smithing in his off time.

In 1976, he rode his last rodeo in California before returning to his homeland, but he won All-Around Cowboy and won the Bareback. He placed a comfortable second in Saddle Bronc.

Once again in Australia, Bob started his own manufacturing business, making the belt buckles he envisions, crafting custom jewelry and some rodeo equipment, including mechanical bulls.

In 1979, still continuing to rodeo, Bob brought home the World Bareback Championship and with that prize money and a little more he had saved, he bought a house, arena and workshop in Queensland where he continued his smithing.

So how did he end up in Cleburne, Texas? Well, he was in America, touring some of the country with a friend and he drove through this area. There, he found a house that he liked, so he bought it and settled there.

And his desire to design better and better buckles and jewelry led him to his finest creation yet. The PBR which began in 1994 had never had a trophy. Winners received buckles and Bob decided to bid on providing on those, but he also suggested they have a trophy which would remain at the PBR headquarters, but would carry the names of the winners. And that's just the way it is.

The trophy he designed is worth a modest $250,000, weighs 250 pounds, with a base of solid marble. The lettering and scrollwork is done in 10k and 14k solid gold. The cup which tops the trophy contains 50 pounds of sterling silver and the entire trophy stands four feet tall. The winners" names are placed on buckles inset around the four sides of the trophy, and each winner is awarded a reproduction of those buckles worth $10,000.

Want to see the beauty created by this rough, tough rodeo cowboy from our Australian neighbor?

He'd be glad to give you a preview of what he is doing if you called his office @ 817-774-0459. He and his staff of workers are proud of their crafts - and rightfully so.

So, thanks, Australia, for giving us this gentleman who has thrilled us at the rodeo and now thrills us with beautiful jewelry that takes our breath away.