Mitered wood dowels covered with several layers of fiberglass for a solid, hard shine. Buckle is backed with a cotton lining and strips of velcro and the belting is covered with a layer of clear vinyl that hangs over 1/4" past both edges (very hard to see in this photo) and has rows of metallic gold stitching. The dowels are 5" tall, and the buckle is 5-3/4" wide.
In the second photo showing the back with the velcro strips, you can also see the clear vinyl easier - and the belt is just tucked under a strip of velcro before being stitched down.
When stitching the metallic gold thread onto the vinyl you'll need a teflon foot. The thread will break occasionally, but I had the best results when maintaining a very slow and consistent speed - no jerky starts and stops along the way.