The simple utility of the button has been glorified by artisans and manufacturers in all materials and processes. In clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener which secures two pieces of fabric together. To Sweet Romance jewelry designer Shelley Cooper, the button presents the opportunity for historical expression in her Vintage Buttons Link Bracelet. “Attached to my 1880s-style link bracelet is a series of antique-style buttons that would have been typical between 1890 and 1925,” explained Cooper.
The bracelet is decorated with Swarovski crystals, seed pearls, art glass and enamel to highlight six unique button links. First is a red enamel and iridescent vintage glass "top" button, so named because it would have fastened a jacket at the top so it would be noticed. The Victorian star button is set with hematite and seed pearls and the intaglio dog, made in the 1920s, is another genuine vintage element. A fancy cloak button formed of old die struck parts features a small Czech opal cabochon, and the doves are reversed burnished under a glass dome, a technique of the early 1900s. Finally, the last link is a lovely Art Nouveau maiden against a ground of translucent blue enamel.
Sweet Romance Jewelry Manufacturing is an American design house and manufacturer producing the jewelry lines of Sweet Romance and Ollipop. CEO Shelley Copper is an artist, designer and historian who weaves history, beauty and imagination into jewelry designs which radiate the authenticity and spirit of many eras of fashion history. Her lines are sold to retailers and wholesalers worldwide as well as through the online jewelry boutique at sweetromanceonline.com and shelleycooper.com.