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History of:
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At Earlooms Jewelry we have a passion for the unique materials that we use.
Our fashions owe their timeless elegance to the history of the buttons and glass
which go into each item of jewelry. Please take a few minutes to learn the history behind our
materials and we're sure you will see we're not just creating costume jewelry. . .
We're creating an Heirloom.
Antique Buttons
Perfume Buttons
Heritage Buttons
Vintage Glass
More than any other collectible, buttons tell the story of history. Although relatively few buttons are much over two hundred years old, the techniques used to cut, mold and decorate them had beginnings before the time of recorded history. The pictures and motifs used in button designs record the inventions of each generation, the historical and political events of the day, stories and fables, the existing economic conditions as well as scenes of rural and city life.
Europe furnished most of the buttons until almost the 19th century, but there is evidence that a few were made in this country, in homes, as early as 1706. Certainly by the first quarter of the 19th century, buttons were being manufactured everywhere, each country utilizing its natural resources and its own craftsmen.
It is therefore understandable that soon people began to collect them - sometimes in the expectation of using them again, sometimes out of sentiment, sometimes just because they were too pretty or too fine to throw away. It was not until the 1930's that a collection of buttons was organized in a formal way. As far as is known, Mrs. Gertrude Patterson was the first full-fledged button collector. During the Depression, when many people had more buttons and leisure time than they had pennies, she spoke over the radio about her collection and influenced quite a few of her listeners to look to the family button box as a source of an inexpensive hobby. Soon the idea swept the country and today, there are thousands of people hunting for buttons and dealers who handle nothing but buttons.
When you see these beautiful works of art you will certainly be grateful that they have been rescued from the obscurity of a button box to a place of honor - truly ornaments of inestimable interest and beauty.
The perfume buttons were designed and manufactured in the States in the early 1800's, incorporating fabric as part of their design - usually velvet. The ladies of the day wore these buttons on their dresses, putting their fragrance on them rather than running the risk of staining their clothing.
The story goes that during the Civil War the ladies would take a perfumed button off their dress and give it to their loved one, sending him into war with a romantic memento. Many stories are told of soldiers who died with a button in his pocket or stories that recount how this memento kept them alive during those stressful times.
You now have the opportunity to purchase this rare button along with its romantic history.
The heritage button line was developed because of the antique buttons' finite number.
Our most popular antique buttons were preserved through special castings which enable us
to exactly duplicate the original button and pass onto you the stories that inspired
the artist's design of the original antique button.
The vintage glass that Earlooms uses for its pieces were made between 1915 and 1945.
The artisans of early 20th century glass beads and stones developed a cottage industry
in remote areas of Bohemia, Bavaria, Italy and France. These glass treasures may never
be made again as most of the old world secrets regarding technique and color have been
lost.
Because of the delicacy of the designs and the amount of hand labor used, an extremely
limited number of pieces are available. Please enjoy their timeless beauty.
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Our jewelry is handcrafted in our studio in Madisonville, LA and is guaranteed.
Antique buttons are one of a kind, therefore, each piece will have a different antique button.
Settings are antique gold or antique silver plated, guaranteed not to tarnish. We do recommend an occasional buffing with a polishing cloth.
Earlooms Jewelry, L.L.C.
608 Pine Street
Madisonville, LA 70447
Phone: (800) 671-3163
Fax (985) 792-5090
email: earlooms@fastband.com
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