The eyes of clothing - buttons

author: Rickie

2024-09-20

Who invented the button?

Humans have been using buttons for more than 6,000 years. As early as 4,000 years ago, Persians were already able to grind stone buttons, and buttons also appeared in my country during the Western Zhou Dynasty.

In Europe, people also began to use buttons in the ancient Roman era. However, buttons at that time were not very practical and were mainly used for decoration. In order to show their wealth, some nobles made buttons with precious gold, silver, pearls, gems, diamonds, rhino horns, antelope horns, ivory and other expensive materials. It was not until the 13th century that the practical function of buttons was valued by people.

The development of buttons in China

Although the Chinese knew how to use buttons, they also used them as decorations in the early days. Most clothes before the Ming Dynasty were tied together in a "knotted belt" style, which the ancients called "knotted tassels". Although the people of the Ming Dynasty knew how to use buttons, they only used them on formal clothes and still did not use them on casual clothes.

It was not until the Qing Dynasty that buttons were widely used. In the Qing Dynasty, buttons on clothes were mostly small round copper buttons, some as big as hazelnuts and some as small as beans. Common people mostly used plain buttons, that is, the surface was smooth and without patterns. The court or the nobility mostly used large copper buttons or copper gilt buttons, gold buttons, and silver buttons. Buttons were often engraved or carved with various patterns, such as coiled dragon patterns, flying phoenix patterns, and general patterns. The buttons were nailed in different ways, with single-row, double-row, or triple-row buttons.

After Emperor Qianlong, the craftsmanship of buttons became more and more sophisticated, and shirt button became more and more sophisticated. Various buttons made of various materials were put on the market. For example, there were gold-plated buttons, silver-plated buttons, threaded buttons, blue-burned buttons, and material buttons. In addition, there were precious white jade Buddha's hand buttons, gold-plated pearl buttons, three-inlaid jade buttons, gold-inlaid agate buttons, coral buttons, beeswax buttons, amber buttons, and even diamond buttons. The patterns on buttons were also rich and varied, such as broken branches of flowers, birds and animals, fortune, longevity, and even the twelve zodiac signs. The practicality and decorativeness of buttons had reached their peak.

Know Your Button Materials

Understanding the Differences