Month: September 2025

This enamel button is quite different in colour and design to many I have. The colours are mainly purple, teal and pink and the gold outlines of the design are very effective. It is a large button at 3 1/2 cm.

Here is another new coconut shell button which features a lady and a scene behind. It is not really clear and was hard to photograph. I guess it was painted and then has a high gloss coating on top. When I bought it I didn’t realize it was a lady but just liked the colours. I have quite a collection of modern coconut shell buttons and find them interesting and varied.

I bought these new buttons recently at Millers Department Store in Benalla last week. The top three are from the same tube but there is a variance in the colour. Coconut shell buttons seem to be in the shops most of the time. I guess they are not expensive to produce and suppose they are made in the islands somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

Here are three wooden buttons which I think could have been made in India. The large round one is carved and has a brass circle inset in the middle. The square one is set in a brass back and has a square brass embellishment. The round one is inlaid with brass and mother of pearl. They are nicely made and quite different.

I actually bought these buttons in a Cheap shop and they were amongst craft and scrapbooking items. They are what I would call modern paste buttons and they are deep red stones glued into a metal base. I was quite surprised to see them there. So you never know where you may find buttons and that is half the fun. They measure 24 mm.

I bought this beaded button in 2017 and it was made by Helen Pappas who now lives near Benalla. It is much brighter in reality. Over the years she has made hundreds of buttons; many quirky embroidered ones as well as the beaded ones. I admire her work as it is very fine and time consuming.

Here is an excerpt from a past NBB magazine which shows photos and an article about enamel buttons from the early 1900s. I was pleased to read it as it displayed a button that I have in my collection. I show a photo of my button in shades of green and pink. It is interesting to see what type of garment the buttons were used on. I would love more of these pictures as it adds so much meaning to the button.

I love this button because of it’s Art Deco design and also it’s striking colour. It is a dirty grey green which contrasts nicely with the black lines so is quite dramatic. The leaf is a glittery gold and a real feature. It measures a little over 2 1/2 cm.