Month: May 2025

This enamelled brass buckle is quite large at 9 1/2cm x 5 cm. The colours are complimentary being blue, purple, teal, red and orange. I wonder what coloured garment it was used on. Blue is the main colour but it would need to be the right blue as some blues do not mix. It is in the Art Nouveau style so is probably from the early 1900s.

These two brass buckles are in the Art Deco style with straight geometric lines typical of the era. They both have brightly coloured shapes of glass; one with blue and yellow, the other with blue and green. These buckles would certainly be more eye catching than say a blue plastic buckle and dress up a garment.

This Diamante buckle is in the shape of a diamond. The glass stones are claw set so I think the buckle is quite old. I wish I knew these things. It would certainly sparkle on a burgundy velvet or perhaps a black silk dress. It is nice that the stones are still all intact as that can be a problem.

Here is a brass buckle with a delicate filigree type pattern. One side has been folded over to meet in the centre and it has several coloured glass stones decorating it. I’m sure it would have graced a garment in it’s time.

This black plastic buckle is quite delicate with it’s floral design and diamantes along the edge. I guess it may be from the 1930s but don’t really know. I actually have used it on a small model and it sits on a cabinet in my bedroom. I made it probably about 50 years ago and I can’t believe now that I did it as I certainly was no dressmaker!

Here are two enamel buttons both in black and white and both with a tiny pink rose. I guess the one on the left is in the Art Nouveau style and I wonder if the right one is perhaps a little more Art Deco. They are quite simple in their design and I like them both.

These two buttons are of dark grey fabric combined with an open work brass centre. It depicts tulip flowers and is quite different. Maybe these buttons were used on a two piece lady’s suit of that same material. That is my guess anyhow.

These cream plastic buttons have a white glass disc in the centre with a gold lustred leaf pattern. The second photo shows the groove through shank. They were in a tin of buttons I bought from a lady several years ago. They are not really modern but I have no idea of their age.

This Fabric button was stitched by Helen Pappas and I bought it several years ago at Melbourne Buttonfest. Helen said it was inspired by the lady in the church choir and she is really singing her heart out. Just look at the fine stitching on the cardigan. The colours are so much nicer in reality too.

Here are three different Celluloid Back Buttons or Victorian Celluloid as they can be called. Each have a different coloured celluloid as well as different metal trim. I quite like these buttons although sombre in tone their designs are interesting and they complimented the fabrics of the time.