Vintage buttons
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Wild Things In your wildest dreams
J-Me and Guy are the owners of Wild Things Beads, a small family run import business specializing in Czech glass beads and buttons and finding the unusual to bring to their warehouse. They also run working bead tours to Jablonec and Hong Kong. Their warehouse is located deep in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California, and can be reached by phone at (530)743 1339 or on the web at www.wildthingsbeads.com. They are also open by appointment at their warehouse.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Swat Valley buttons
These Gilgit buttons are available in our warehouse and ready for sale.
Zahair is Afghani, and sold tribal antiques from Afghanistan and Pakistan. He told me these buttons were over 100 years old, and came from Gilgit, the regional city of the area in the Swat Valley of Northern Pakistan and the North Western Tribal Areas. Gilgit is on the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road, which was used by traders traveling from China to the west and India. I did more research, and found articles posted on the web by Kathleen of Global Beads in Mountain View, California, and Julie of Tika Imports. Both confirmed that these buttons were as Zahair stated. These buttons are also known as "Tany". The shell would have been imported into Gilgit from the Arabian Ocean, Indian Ocean and South China Sea, and quite possibly the Mediterranean Sea.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfpRE7_69Db5-TL_ws3cL3QqllETpHSgoESsC2OnFYPjmodgcJWkw4DZANgmXXBtuau4aa6WJjSq6USQxDvnD8zwmFCdIqKeremq6VQZJf0b01i8lCNhVn1IO-hzfYd3F1T08Bofdwvar/s1600/Unknown.jpeg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4uBcDPF9Fn9sQdaYXzGBW6ZE0Fq-OJqCfaWyUgXJqoil2XTtJzYmGzs8DlVeabyQBtA1ON5pfChIjlILYB8MrkhmI_II0ljMCUv-OgRPm0AwjSLnoF7vVrrbxPJcnYLeTgf2ASan3i_V/s1600/Unknown.jpeg)
One other major problem for me as an importer is that I like to go to areas of interest to find items such as the Gilgit buttons and purchase them direct either from the market or from the manufacturer.
The Swat Valley, being up north in the tribal areas of Pakistan, has become off limits to Americans because the area is a hotbed of militancy and terrorism, and currently is the place the US is fighting the Taliban with drone attacks. We are not well loved there and a business trip to the region could definitely end in disaster. So we will have to rely on Pakistani suppliers to bring the product to us. Our most recent supplier is an Afghani Pushtan who visits the area once a year. On his last trip, March 2013, he only stayed four days because anything longer and people will start to pay attention to him and he could be kidnapped. He is also an American citizen, which would increase his danger.
Ancients and Antique buttons- Front side of the buttons (photos courtesy of Julie of Tika Imports)
Back side of the buttons
The Gilgit area is also known for it's brass buttons and parts.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGBUgFNOby4mo-jnr1atqqiY2RB54qoVCQhWHePUYF4tSYXnLGXwOck5xMAJGxx27uqRYIAhCML2KgrU7CszBsMuIkC0HcC-XLgdNQ8qCtbJazj_b6Pg9S8iOku0ysOtPUNlp63qRuPBL/s1600/Unknown.jpeg)
This is a Turkoman headdress from Kohistan, Northern Pakistan, showing an example of how the buttons are used.
********************************************************************************
J-Me and Guy are the owners of Wild Things Beads, a small family run import business specializing in Czech glass beads and buttons and finding the unusual to bring to their warehouse. They also run working bead tours to Jablonec and Hong Kong. Their warehouse is located deep in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California, and can be reached by phone at (530)743 1339 or on the web at www.wildthingsbeads.com. They are also open by appointment at their warehouse.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
New shipment
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhil9AmHHrQwgmcWgCCoeK7M_N1Fln-5fI0FPLrsVyOq1QRBeppEtxj5yDqOI4KWUB3bcqscFRwc5hCy_8CBGCEdGvraqJuDG88hB-AO88RsRqNAWocgHPWKFTsJVRHkUfE3uOrZffqK0da/s320/newbuttons.jpg)
We have just checked in a new shipment of glass buttons from Czech Republic. These are all hand pressed, then hand painted and fired in a kiln so the paint will be permanent. Some have rhinestones embedded in them.
Glass buttons have been made in this region since 1732, when the first molded pressed button was produced here. At its height, this industry had hundreds of pressers working for many small button factories. Now there are two factories remaining, with only ten pressers. The main reason for this decline was the invention of the washing machine, which basically killed the glass button. Most clothing manufacturers went to plastic buttons. Only now that buttons are being used as jewelry components has the glass button re-emerged as a beautiful piece of art.
They will be available for purchase at the Tucson Gem Show at Guy's booth in the Gem Mall, and J-Me's booth at 22nd St.
Before we get to Tucson we will be selling out in Quartzsite at the QIA Pow Wow. (January 16 through 19th). Come see us there.
J- Me and Guy are the owners of Wild Things Beads, a small family run import business specializing in Czech glass beads and buttons and finding the unusual to bring to their warehouse. They also run working bead tours to Jablonec and Hong Kong. Their warehouse is located deep in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California, and can be reached by phone at (530)743 1339 or on the web at www.wildthingsbeads.com. They are also open by appointment at their warehouse.
J- Me and Guy are the owners of Wild Things Beads, a small family run import business specializing in Czech glass beads and buttons and finding the unusual to bring to their warehouse. They also run working bead tours to Jablonec and Hong Kong. Their warehouse is located deep in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California, and can be reached by phone at (530)743 1339 or on the web at www.wildthingsbeads.com. They are also open by appointment at their warehouse.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
1940's vintage buttons
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkWvHX-nOcJc2V1Vk6DtXL4ZPd5XiMlZxbuwZXf-7Z7Lg32PeTPd1PT4jP1zFdmASkO8-x9lPrdKv1Y2B7Mcc8H9OS0bId8MlbIsFi4WpV1YynmyMImzT-QhnScL-Oa0wnqD-05wSN3UgG/s320/VK765.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimegQbs7k5UVGaLPCRkTVNm8qhyphenhyphenvBOS2mEomell9hNkyr_hLybSeZo2AWXYIgJQinuXIpRNx8uuWC5nxYJQuJlLIY7AV_NFZeh9VFioPO6_6Ca_zXy5MjDSsSn2iNxVRieODdXd_3G4drX/s320/VK766.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1yF2oBMObZx4QZPpM5x4F1f2fzb5EMcpbEb-WPuwm4pwClYpBhgi0TlAI0tQf-UFld-06_vDZnl6wiGW4T3EB-PCUyPGJuVP8-ibWn0DP_ZOWeDbCaaKg3Pvci8P4XA9m6hN6rev3WUkG/s320/VK767.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44y7DAbgl3JQlZjZP25Xv4RV8yde8tL87TAOoY-AN2UscJjJRdo1uiQCSHNRfj-o5-4aYQloYnLopVGB4jZhC31nPH3xfrCpMxU9_If7svmk48l9MvbSBDi6wFtIAS6yhqMK-1u0TObqK/s320/VK768.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1Llgk-ssnd-MBkAM_WhDlZatrVb3uVdeguIilyZn2fyK7FED5qL4ZESvyS31hQvYtihdIonhlJ0Tdr9igjri8fhQBJn6Pdwg8tXK0GBAVi5Kd-lNFJJhnMg4j5h7AYtVEf8-5LxFN96-/s320/VK769.jpg)
Just received and checked in vintage 1940's glass buttons put on new (1990's) card stock from Zeleznobrodske sklo. This factory closed in 2010 when Jablonex went bankrupt, and stock was sold off to wholesalers, antique warehouses and importers from around the world.
If you are interested, please contact us for price quotes, more pics or to ask questions about these buttons.
J-Me and Guy are the owners of Wild Things Beads, a small family run import business specializing in Czech glass beads and buttons and finding the unusual to bring to their warehouse. They also run working bead tours to Jablonec and Hong Kong. Their warehouse is located deep in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California, and can be reached by phone at (530)743 1339 or on the web at www.wildthingsbeads.com. They are also open by appointment at their warehouse.
J-Me and Guy are the owners of Wild Things Beads, a small family run import business specializing in Czech glass beads and buttons and finding the unusual to bring to their warehouse. They also run working bead tours to Jablonec and Hong Kong. Their warehouse is located deep in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Northern California, and can be reached by phone at (530)743 1339 or on the web at www.wildthingsbeads.com. They are also open by appointment at their warehouse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)