A Brief Guide to Natural Buttons

We use various buttons on suits,shirts, boots, bags, trousers and tailcoats. They are so ubiquitous that you probably don’t even give them a second thought. But ordinary buttons are much more than they appear. They are accessories that have been around for thousands of years. They are a part of the world’s cultural and fashion history.

We often dismiss buttons as a clothing sideshow – the work horses of the accessories world. But early buttons were in fact more akin to jewellery than the modern-day fastenings we’re familiar with. At 5,000 years old, an ornamental button made from shell, and found in Pakistan is currently considered to be the oldest button in existence. Other early buttons were made out of materials including bone, horn, bronze and wood. Later, buttons took on more practical duties. In ancient Rome, buttons were used to secure clothes, some having to support reams of fabric at a single point. But they were still a far cry from the slim and functional buttons you’re familiar with on your shirts and suits.

The buttons we see are made of many different materials. In addition to wooden buttons, corozo buttons and shell buttons, there are other types of natural buttons, such as stone buttons, ceramic buttons and jewelry buttons. Although the number of these special buttons is relatively small, they still have a certain market due to their unique characteristics and the demand for personalized clothing. This article mainly introduces the natural buttons.

Stone Buttons

At present, most stone buttons are marble buttons, and mass mechanical production has been realized. The main advantages of stone buttons are their high stiffness, wear resistance and high temperature resistance. In addition, they are resistant to organic solvents and are not easily corroded by ordinary concentrations of acids and alkalis. As for the appearance, stone buttons have various natural textures and can be used for special clothing.

Ceramic Buttons

Ceramic buttons can be divided into two types: ordinary type and special type. Ordinary ceramic buttons are made of ordinary ceramic materials by sintering and glazing. Then they will go through the surface decoration and finally combined with the metal base. As for the special ceramic buttons, they are made of high-strength ceramic materials, such as zirconia through high-pressure forming and sintering.

The main reason why ceramic buttons are popular is their excellent surface effects, bright colors and excellent brightness, which can provide excellent decorative effects. In addition, ceramic materials have strong surface hardness and excellent wear resistance. However, limited by production methods and technical levels, their output is small and the cost is high.

Jewelry Buttons

Natural jewels are rare and advanced decorative materials, and are rarely used to make buttons. At present, the main gems used in button production are some low-grade gems and artificial crystals. Next is the main function of jewelry buttons.

-Natural jewelry buttons are rare and precious, and can increase the value of clothing.

-Natural jewelry buttons have better physical properties, such as strong abrasion resistance and washing resistance.

-Natural jewelry buttons provide exquisite decorative effects.

Buttons have proven to be firmly fastened to the fabric of human society – at least the past five thousand years of it. Even with the development of zippers, poppers and velcro, buttons are still the fastening of choice for people the world over. If you’ve still got burning button questions, please contact us.