Button Dictionary, Page 4

M

MEASLES ...

OOPS! The name comes from the ubiquitous red dots on ill children. Competitors who enter a tray with buttons not appropriate to the entry get a little dot on the plastic cover sheet. One dot, or measle, is enough to disqualify an entire tray from competition.

MEASURE ...

A tool used by button collectors to determine sizes for competition. There are two types, the Linley measure, and the NBS flat measure.

MODERN ...

MOLDED & PAINTED ...

MOONGLOW ...

Also sold as "Moonstones" when they first came out in the 1950s, are modern glass buttons, with a layer of clear glass over the top. The clear glass may be clear frosted glass. They may be realistics, and are often embellished with luster or rhinestones.

N

NETSUKE ...

Not used to close the purse (actually called an inro) -- it was a toggle which kept the cords of the purse above the belt (obi). To the extent that the purses needed closing, a bead (an ojime) served that purpose. Often the inro, ojime and netsuke were designed along a related theme -- coordinated to enhance each other. Later, when smoking was introduced to Japan, leather purses or pouches were used to hold smoking materials. Typically, the netsuke (usually a manju netsuke, round like a large button) was connected to the purse with a series of chains. There is a competition for these under a special NBS classification.

O

OLD ...

OMEGA SHANK ...

P

PAD BACK ...

PAPERWEIGHT ...

PASTE ...

"Paste" and "strass" are synonymous and can be used interchangeably. Paste is a heavily leaded glass approximating a true gem in luster and brilliancy. A German named Strass perfected a formula for paste that was so admired that his name became the trade name for all fine paste, the standard by which it was judged. The word "Rhinestone" is a near synonym for the other two... All rhinestones are clear and the word should never be used for colored paste. Clear glass imitation of diamonds can be called rhinestones, paste or strass. Colored imitations of rubies, emeralds, etc., can be called either paste or strass, but not rhinestones.

PINSHANK ...

PLIQUE-Á-JOUR ...

See ENAMEL.

POLYMER CLAY ...

A very workable, colorful medium for sculpting, molding, and canemaking. Complicated designs can be created in a bundle or cane form and reduced in size to make buttons, jewelry, and decorate almost anything. It stays soft almost indefinitely until baked to permanent hardness in a home oven at 275°, making it a very popular material for crafters. It comes in many colors, and is often used for buttons, both in mass production and by studio button makers. Fimo, Sculpey III, Cernit, Promat, are some of the brand names.

POPPER ...

PRECISION INLAY ...

If you've got a button definition to add or modify, or you have a picture that we can use, please e-mail us!