Paua Shell Buttons - 9/16"

Shell Buttons: Buttons can be made from many kinds of freshwater and marine shells, from abalones to scallops and a variety of mollusks, so it is difficult to assign any specific characteristics to them. Shell buttons can be carved from almost any layer of the shell, and so they vary widely in color, shape, and size. The inner lining of the shells of mollusks such as oysters and mussels has an opalescent quality, due to the presence of a substance called nacre. In oysters, nacre is the raw material that forms into pearls. This gives the inner lining of mollusk shells a beautiful, pearly quality referred to as “mother of pearl.” Mother of pearl buttons are made from this lining. Shell buttons have been used in many cultures throughout history, as they are relatively easy for pre-industrial cultures to produce. Mother of pearl buttons became extremely popular during the early 19th century and remained so through the Victorian era. Refer to the above section on the development of the shell button industry in America. - - from A History of Button Manufacture, Use & Classification by Crazy Crow Trading Post

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A History of Button Manufacture, Use & Classification

It is hard to imagine relatively ‘modern’ times without buttons for the uses known to them today. Yet it was not until 13th century Germany when buttons featuring that most important counterpart, buttonholes, were used to keep clothing closed and they also started to be used for fastening shoes, tunics, surcoats, hoods, etc. This article focuses on the ‘button-fastener-era’ so-to-speak that followed the 13th century invention of the buttonhole. In the 18th century luxury fabric buttons were largely replaced by metals and ivory. Pewter, a common metal of this time, was used to make either molded or stamped-out buttons. Cast brass buttons, were popular on both military and civilian dress.
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