Hello there!

There’s several ways to go about this that I can see.

I would recommend a leather or faux leather for the belt itself. You can get one with a metallic finish if that’s the look you are going for.

For the studs, you can either buy studs meant for making belts, or, for a cheaper option, use googly eyes, half pearls, or small stud cabochons that you paint. I’d use a rhinestone glue to attach these.

For the buckle, you have a couple of options. Cheapest would be something like craft/EVA foam or thin sheet plastic cut into shape. Luckily, the hand designs are fairly flat, so you can simply cut out the shape from a thin material and glue it to the surface of the faux buckle. I would hide a real buckle underneath. If you have access to resin casting and mold making, a sculpt that you cast in resin would work quite well, though this costs more money and requires more skill. If you have access to 3D printing, you may also be able to 3D print the buckle. Search around to see if someone has already made a file for it and use a service, or model your own.

For finishing the buckle, again, a few options. Plain metallic craft paint can look a bit cheesy, but it’s a cheap and easy option if you want a more matte metallic look. An option for a very shiny metallic look is car wrap vinyl, which adheres to the surface and is shrunk down to fit with a heat gun, and gives a nearly mirror finish. For something this size, it’s also worth looking into painting the surface and then buffing a chrome nail powder in whatever color your particular color scheme calls for onto it. This creates a very realistic metallic look, but tends to cover best on small surfaces. If you have trouble with it, try mixing it with a bit of clear varnish or some glue, or use it on slightly tacky glue. If the color scheme you are using allows for it, you can also use Rub n Buff, a wax-based product meant for coloring furniture and décor items that gives realistic metallic looks, but it generally comes in “natural” metal colors rather than, say, bright Jojo green.

I hope this helps! Good luck :]

—Fabrickind / Q&A Staff / Twitter