Button Dictionary, Page 6

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VEGATABLE IVORY ...

Buttons made of the corozo or taugua palm nut are naturally a light beige color and take dye well. Often the self shanks were drilled after dyeing, showing the natural color. Buttons were carved and drilled, dyed, painted, printed, and impressed with designs of all sorts. Metal escutcheons, pearl and glass inserts, holes filled with glitter decorate vegetable ivory. Many of the buttons show fine grain lines and pores on the back.

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WATCHCASE ...

WATCH CRYSTAL ...

WHISTLE ...

A term strickly used by collectors, it refers to all buttons constructed with one hole on the top and two holes on the bottom. The reason for this odd construction is to save on the wear & tear of the thread. When the button is sewn on, the thread becomes recessed, therefore protecting it from daily wear. Whistle buttons, most made around the turn of the century, can be found in a wide variety of materials.

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