Charm Belt for Charity
How many silversmiths does it take to make a belt? In this case, over 300. What started as a small project designed to bring together silversmiths across the country has quickly become a viral fundraiser worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and featuring the work of several hundred craftsmen and women. This project is the brainchild of Jason Ogg and Shay Pfieffer of Black Wolf White Wolf Designs. Pfieffer and Ogg are well-known jewelers, each boasting a position on the Society of North American Goldsmiths’ “Future 50” Artists. The pair is very active on social media, sharing a variety of educational tutorials and challenges for fellow jewelers. The most recent (and most popular) of these challenges is the creation of a traveling charm belt. This ambitious project is the largest collaborative jewelry project ever attempted in the silversmithing world. Ogg and Pfieffer extended an invitation to silversmiths, metalsmiths, jewelers, and more to contribute a charm to their sterling silver belt. The initial goal was for 250 craftspeople to each contribute a single charm to the belt, which would travel the country to trade shows, photoshoots, fashion events, and even the NFR before eventually being raffled off for charity.
Within a month, over 300 artists had pledged their services to the project. One artist, Donna Dexter, is beyond thrilled about the opportunity. Dexter is a beginner silversmith from western Nebraska, having been silversmithing for only two years. While always passionate about art, Dexter only began silversmithing after an injury at work forced her to find new ways to occupy her time and mind. Her passion for creation has helped her to do just that in the jewelry world. In her quest to pursue this new career, she stumbled upon Black Wolf White Wolf Designs on TikTok, sharing their challenge to connect silversmiths across the nation. Dexter shared that this project is a big change for the silversmithing community, since it’s made up of so many fiercely independent individuals who rarely come together. “[Ogg and Pfieffer] came up with this idea of doing a collaboration because of so many people kind of out for themselves,” she said. Like the pair behind the challenge, Dexter was amazed by how many craftspeople joined in on the project, saying, “This is bigger than what we thought.”
As more and more people joined the project, Ogg and Pfieffer wanted the group’s input on what charity the funds should go to. Since so many silversmiths have roots in the Western lifestyle, Dexter was one of many to suggest the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. The Cowboy Crisis Fund is a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to cowboys and cowgirls injured while participating in professional rodeo. This noble cause drew the support of the majority of the group, and it was decided that the belt would be raffled off after the National Finals Rodeo and that the funds would go directly to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. This organization has awarded nearly $10 million in financial assistance to professional rodeo athletes in its 35 years of operation. Black Wolf White Wolf Designs had to wade through a lot of legal work to make this possible, and the project is officially classified as a sweepstakes.
As anticipation for the sweepstakes grows, so do the offerings. The sterling silver belt (created by Ogg) holds three rings to display the pendants. There are currently 189 charms submitted, and when all is said and done, over 360 charms will be paired with the belt. “You can have a pendant for every day of the year if you wanted it, which is kinda cool of itself,” said Dexter. As the contributions roll in, Ogg and Pfieffer film regular “unboxing” videos on their channel to showcase the charms and the artists behind them. Dexter believes this to be one of the greatest benefits of participation in the project, along with contributing to such an amazing product. “We’re not getting anything out of it, but we’re giving to a good cause,” she said. Her contributions to the belt are a silver spur charm and a copper charm featuring turquoise she mined herself at Royston Mine near Tonopah, Nevada. Rio Grande Jewelry Supply, a large supporter of the project, donated the hooks that will be used and is working on a photo album featuring all the different charms and their makers. Each charm is unique and showcases the different talents and personalities of the artists from the US and abroad. Some are silver, some are glass, and some are stone- the only limit is the artist’s imagination. “What’s cool about it is each of us is a silversmith and we each have our own take on it,” shared Dexter.
The belt was initially going to be mailed to different influencers for filming and photoshoots. The lineup included musicians, cowboys, and cowgirls who have benefited from the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, and even Miss Rodeo America. However, it soon became clear that this wouldn’t be feasible. Some charms are worth over $1,000, and the value of the belt and all the charms currently with it exceeds $300,000. Instead of mailing it, Ogg has taken on the additional challenge of traveling with the belt to meet influencers willing to model it. The next stop on the list is Rio Grande, Texas, to hold a photoshoot in an arena rented by Rio Grande Jewelry Supply. The belt will keep making appearances across the country until the NFR in December. Four days after the rodeo concludes, the sweepstakes will be held to determine the belt’s permanent home. Dexter and other silversmiths are planning to meet up at the NFR to participate in one last photoshoot with the belt, as well as meet the fellow artists who have been collaborating on this noble endeavor. She views it as fitting that the belt created by silversmiths will be raffled off at the NFR and benefit the cowboys and cowgirls competing there. “Ultimately, the cowboys and cowgirls are the ones that make the NFR,” she said, and since the NFR and other Western trade shows are some of the largest venues for silversmiths to sell their wares, they owe a lot of their success to the rodeo competitors. In her opinion, this belt is a very fitting way to pay it forward. “It’s kind of because of them that we have a job.” Not only is the belt funding a great cause in the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, it’s contributing to another of its own- connecting the silversmith community through their mutual passions. “We’re all coming together,” Dexter said, clearly touched by the massive community response to the challenge.
Tickets for the sweepstakes will continue to be sold up to and during the NFR. Nearly every collaborator features a link to purchase them on their website, and tickets are available in price increments from $10 to $1,000. Nearly $1,500 have been raised so far, and Pfieffer and Ogg hope to reach a goal of $500,000 to donate by the conclusion of the sweepstakes. The sweepstakes will be hosted through rallyup.com, which ensures that 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund. More information can be found by visiting Black Wolf White Wolf Designs or searching #travelingcharmbelt2025.
