Yankee Traveler's Tip

The Boston Globe Magazine



Text from above article "All buttoned up"
In this charming shop in a Marblehead home, old buttons are combined with new settings to become jewelry we might call semi-antique. Mostly, the buttons date from the 1800's when fasteners were far more expressive; they are embedded in broaches, rings, earrings, lapel pins, and stickpins. Some depict images from myth, like Minerva (Zeus' giant headache of a daughter), others symbols from heraldry, like the rampant lion. Most buttons come with a write-up explaining their origin or meaning -- one might be the pearl button from a Revolutionary War dress uniform, for example. Take the time to browse and read the histories of the buttons and to examine them with a magnifying glass. Prices go into the hundreds but the average is around $35. The shop is open weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., weekends till 11 p.m., and by appointment.

Antiquewear, 82 Front Street Marblehead, MA 01945 (781) 639-0070

YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S BUTTONS MADE TO JEWELRY.
ASK FOR A PRICE LIST.