All things buttons & more …
These buttons and buckles are made of small facetted pieces of glass set into gold or silver coloured metal.A lot of the older ones are claw set while the newer ones are glued in.They are very sparkly and would be really showy on evening wear especially when under lights.
Netsukes are the carved ornament at the top of the Japanese Inro which is used to hold medicine, money or tobacco.
These netsukes are modern and are made of carved Vegetable Ivory.
I really admire the detailed carving not only on the top but also on the bottom. (as seen in the pictures)
You can also see the two holes where the cord is threaded through.
This Japanese Inro (from the Showa period) has one compartment only where many have three or four.
The bead where the cord is threaded through is called an Ojime.
The carved dragon on the top is the Netsuke. This enables the cord to pass behind the sash (obi) of the kimono which stops it from slipping down.
This group of six buttons have a metal base. The background on each is of a different coloured celluloid (thus the name Celluloid Backs) The ornamentation on the top is also of metal and very delicate in design. I really like them.
All of these buttons are purely for decorative purposes only and not to be functional. They have a hole on each side to enable them to be stitched onto the garment. I do not know their exact age but they are quite old. These are the only buttons of this type that I have.
Here are two original button cards complete with all buttons.
One has 24 purple buttons made with braid being wound around a wooden mould. They were made in England.
The other being made in Germany has 6 large fawn and purple buttons made from some type of plastic. Their colour is quite unusual.
On this card are six clear plastic buttons decorated with two incised overlapping squares coloured black.
They were made in France. My friend Olwyn bought them in Paris for me in 2013.
Haute Nouveaute : Translates from French to Top Novelty.
This set is made of thick chunky brown bakelite.
The escutcheon (the brass addition to the top) is of stamped brass and shows a ladies face with floral decoration which is very detailed.
The face is known as “Gibson Girl ”
They are from the period 1915 – 1920.
The combination of the blue and black is rather striking and with the fine strip of tin it makes a good Art Deco design.
They have a celluloid back and shank.
FABRIC BUTTONS
Fabric and Passementerie buttons is a general term which covers buttons covered with fabric and beaded or embroidered, crocheted and those with thread or braid wound over a mould ( which is mainly wooden ) and the likes.
Many were either black or ecru in colour and in the early 1900’s Paul Poiret ( a French Fashion Designer of the period ) decided to try coloured threads and braid as well as gold or silver fine wire, resulting in some really beautiful buttons. The middle row shows some of his buttons.