Buttonsplus

Here are some fun Ceramic buttons made in South Africa by local village ladies. It is a great occupation for them and brings in much needed money. There is a set of six chooks and they are really cute and well made. The corrugated cardboard is the usual backing on which they market their buttons. I have quite a few sets of their buttons as I find them interesting and it is a great organization.

I rather like these three chunky plastic buttons as they are very smooth and tactile. Each has been carved, one having colour added. I believe that they could be Bakelite but am only guessing. They each have a metal loop shank.

These porcelain buttons were handmade by Tracey Sharkey in 2007. They are of a floral theme and I like the way they only have portion of a leaf or flower on each button. There is a set of six. They are a gentle colour and would look nice on a plain white or green fabric. They measure just over 2 cm.

Here is a trio of black and white modern plastic buttons which I bought new several years ago. As ever black and white are always striking. They remind me of the black and white craze in buttons of the 1930s or thereabout. Fashion goes in cycles so this is just an example of that. The two on the right are the same design but look quite different because of the reverse colour scheme. They measure 2 1/2 cm.

These buttons were bought new maybe ten years ago. They are quite different and are an odd shape. . I don’t know if the floral design on top has been layered on and then cut away or if it has just been sort of painted on. but it is certainly a separate layer. They are some type of plastic and measure nearly 4 cm at the widest point.

I have many Metalized Plastic buttons both in gold and silver which have mainly been got at Opp shops. Many people think they are metal buttons which is not surprising. Their weight gives them away. This group varies in sizes and designs. In the first picture the top left button is very similar to a black glass with gold lustre button that I have. Plastic can imitate many materials and designs.

Here is an original button card with pearl buttons made in U.S.A. I can appreciate the art work on the old button cards and this one is no exception with it’s peacocks on the side. It is also good to have all the buttons still intact and in good order. These old button cards are getting harder to find now so we are lucky to have what we have.

Here are four different button covers. They would have been made in sets of four or six originally. I think they were popular in the 1980s or thereabouts. They were made to convert a very plain button on a garment to something dressier thus altering the look of a jacket for example. The cover opens up and the back slides behind the original button and then clips shut. I have quite a few different ones but only a couple of full sets. I wonder who came up with the idea; quite ingenious.

These two metal buttons are in the Art Nouveau style both featuring a floral design. The scrolly lines are typical of this period. Each design is nicely balanced. They have a brass loop shank and measure 2 1/2 cm.

I think these three Lithograph buttons would have been part of a set of six originally. They portray ladies in large hats who were probably famous ladies of the day. They are waiscoat buttons which were worn by men in the late 1890s or early 1900s.