Repairs
Louis Vuitton Initiales belt — LV buckle re-plated in gold
Louis Vuitton · Hardware plating & coating
These are not dye jobs. Where leather was replaced, the new part can look lighter than before — that is new leather, not leather dyed lighter.
The record
01Condition on arrival
The plating on the LV buckle had worn, leaving stains and blackened marks
02Main steps
- Smoothing the surface
- re-plating in gold
- polishing
03About the work
A Louis Vuitton Initiales belt with a gold LV buckle on a reversible strap. As the plating on the front of the buckle wore, stains and blackened marks had appeared in many places.
The stained surface and the scratches were finely smoothed first, then the buckle was re-plated in gold. Plating over an unprepared base lets the stains show straight through.
The leather strap was not touched. Compare the buckle at the same angle in the fourth and fifth intake photos and the last after photo.











