A Peek Into the Creative Process...

I awoke to 3 degrees Fahrenheit below zero this morning, so therefore, I am chained to the fireplace trying to warm the house up.  It was 63 degrees when I got out of bed and I have been running the fireplace since 7am.  Now at 11 am, it is only up to 65 degrees!  No studio work today, so I thought I would bring you a special blog post:  A look into the creative process!

When I begin a design, I don't really go into it with any ideas in mind.  I retreat to the old button storage and pick out a button/buttons that suit my fancy for the day.

This drawer so happens to be mostly metals, but I have everything from mother of pearl to fabric to vegetable ivory in this storage box.  After I choose the buttons I will use for the piece, I set to gently restore them.

As you will see, this is a multiple stage process, and probably more time consuming that the actual creating of the piece.  And, yes, I did knit those fingerless gloves.  I have been a knitting fool every night and weekend since I learned how!

My main goal is to restore the original beauty of the buttons while retaining the aged patina.  One must remember that most of the buttons in my stash are from the mid to late 1800's, so there are many problems that have to be dealt with such as rust and the "green meanies" (the unsightly green oxidation on brass that is more suitable aesthetically to garden fixtures and outdoor decorations).  These issues are dealt with and removed with museum approved techniques and products.

 
For the final stage, a museum wax is applied to protect from further rusting and oxidation as well as water damage and retains a smooth, clean shine.  *Please note that this button looks the same from the first picture to the last as it was not actually restored, it was only used to demonstration purposes*.  While I am restoring the button/buttons, I run through ideas of how the button will be converted into a piece of jewelry, all the while running through techniques that allow me to create a piece of jewelry without harming or altering the button in any way.

By the time I am completed with the cleaning process,   I have a good idea of how to design the piece.  I retreat to my bead boxes (my red vintage bead box is shown above)...

and my brass filigree boxes and choose pieces that would be most suitable for the design I have in mind.

As you can see above, the actual piece begins to take form.  This piece is still a work in progress.  I guess I will not get to it again today...I just hate having to take all the supplies I need out of the studio to bring downstairs simply because I have to cart them all back upstairs when I am done.  These are the days that I catch up on computer work and maybe do a little tatting for chokers and bracelets.

As you can see, creating button jewelry is so much more than just making the piece.

Don't You Hurt That Button....

Before I start today's post, I want to start with a disclaimer: I am in no way trying to insult makers of button jewelry that harm their buttons, nor trying to sabotage their business. I am simply trying to get the point out about the detrimental recourse of harming buttons for the sake of jewelry! I'm just a bleeding heart for buttons and want to educate the masses of the depletion of value when buttons are damaged!

Antique buttons are like miniature works of art, time capsules of history, beautiful little gems to run your fingers through. As I mentioned yesterday, you wouldn't drill a hole through a Hummel, would you? The same for buttons. Here is an example. Several months ago, I saw a button necklace for sale on the internet. The button was worth about $35 all by itself, judging from the front of the button. The jewelry designer had drilled a hole in the top of the button, passed a bail through it, put it on a chain. This necklace was priced around $50, the description stated that the button was antique which made the piece that much more valuable. The sad thing is that the button is now worthless with the damage....worth only the scrap metal it is made from. At this point, the necklace is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. It is no longer valuable just because it has an antique button on it as the button is now valued at $0, when it once was valued at least $35.

I see it all the time. Bracelets made by cutting the shanks off buttons and gluing the buttons to a bracelets. Those buttons were once worth about $5 a piece, now they are worth nothing. And the $40 price tag? The price does not reflect the value of the buttons, because they are not worth anything anymore. Pity, as there are usually at least 6 small picture buttons on each bracelet. Figure that out at $5 a piece. They are only worth something to the consumer who doesn't know better. Hairpins. Bookmarks. The tragedy goes on....

One important clientele that these people are missing? The Button Collectors. I know..."People actually collect those things?" Believe it or not, but button collectors come in all age ranges, from 8 to 80. I have been collecting collectible buttons for over 10 years. Remember what I said yesterday that these kinds of buttons are not usually found in old button boxes. These buttons are either found on ebay, button shows, individual websites that sell them and auctions. But I will tell you one thing: Button Collectors would be horrified to own a piece of button jewelry where the button was damaged to create the piece. Plain old shirt buttons are different, but collectible buttons, this is where the concern comes in.

Stay tuned tomorrow when I continue this series......and I hope I didn't ruffle too many feathers. No harm was intended....my only goal is education.

(above picture courtesy of www.buttonbuttononie.com, a member of the National Button Society who sells antique and collectible buttons.)

What's The Big Deal About No Harm Button Jewelry....

Well, I'm glad you asked. I would be horrified if I saw a piece of jewelry containing some of the buttons above in which the button was harmed....shank cut off, hole drilled in the button, button glued to something. The problem is that this happens all the time. A button is just like any other collectible...once it's damaged, it's not worth anything. It would be the same as drilling a hole in a Hummel, or gluing some depression glass to your wall. The piece is rendered worthless. The same thing with collectible buttons.

Now, I am not talking about those cheapo plastic shirt buttons in your button box. I'm talking about antique and collectible buttons, much like the ones picture above (which by the way, are in my personal collection). While some of these buttons might only be worth a dollar or two apiece, some of them are worth upwards of $35 to $50. I actually have a button in my collection that I paid $150 for at a button show, and I attend an auction where they auction 17th century buttons....for thousands of dollars a piece!!! I am not kidding!

Hey, don't laugh. Button Collecting is third to Coin Collecting in the World! I am going to continue this series over the next couple of days. My intent is to alert consumers to exactly what you are purchasing. Stay tuned for more....