Featured Antique buttons, Whitby Jet, bullseyes eye agate, please help identify age and material

Hello again,
I have these buttons that I don’t know much, I have numbered them.
The ones that I am most interested in knowing more is number 1 , 3 ,6 and 7.
I would like to ask if anyone can identify how old they are and material in some cases.
1. Whitby Jet shirt buttons with seed pearls, please can you correct me if they are not shirt buttons.
2. Satsuma button, probably ceramic. Please can you identify the style and age.
3. Blue mosaic button, this I can’t find anything on it, any leads would be much appreciated
4. Mosaic button, how old do you think it is? Style?
5. Bullseye agate, no idea if they are buttons or something else.
6. Bullseye agate something, looks like cufflinks to me
7. Enamelled button, not sterling silver, quite large, I wonder how old and what could have been used for.
I bought them in auction, as antique, thinking to sell some of them, now that I have seen how they look. Still learning
Thank you all.
Kind regards,
Simona
@KSW
@Ownedbybear
@Bronwen
@Any Jewelry
@Fid
@kyratango

 

No 1. are cufflinks, around 1870-1890, the links with the two very specific fasteners on the back existed only around this time.
No 6. are shirt buttons, similar ones still exist today, e.g. for dress shirts/tuxedo shirts.

No. 5. could I please see more detailed pictures of the back and the fastening mechanism?

 

Thank you so much, this is amazing. Can I just ask, how would number 1 the shirt buttons would close, is there something missing from the back?
And the number 5 have a mechanism with a string attached when opening, I will take some close up photos tomorrow, they are also very interesting.
Number 3 is also a puzzle button for me, they look very different than the mosaic I am familiar with and the blue material feels different as well.
Thank you again.
Will update soon.
Kind regards,
Simona

 

I agree but I would label No. 6 as "cufflinks' rather than shirt buttons. I believe that 5 & 6 are both bullseye agates. No. 6 I would guess at about 1900 - 1920. No. 5 looks like a micro-mosaic. Nice.

 

What a fun collection! Love the initials in set #1.

Is the set #3 actually micro mosaic or pressed glass? I couldn't tell from the photo.

 

There are several facebook pages for button collectors that might help as well.

 

No 1. are cufflinks; the cuffs of shirts were a bit different from today's cuffs and they (as well as the collars) were in interchangable. You wore the shirt more than once and only changed the collar and the cuffs, as they usually get dirty first.
In order to get a better look at the buttons you should take picture on a plain white sheet of paper with no direct sunlight.

 

I' sorry, but the buttons of No 6 are part of a dress set/shirt buttons set. In addition to a pair of cufflinks a set usually consists of 3 or 4 shirt buttons and in addition there are 2 or 3 collar buttons. It varies as shirts for a dinner jacket require 3 buttons, shirts for a dress coat/tail coat 4 buttons (and 2 or three for the collar).
I attach a photo of a dress set (without the cufflinks in this case):

 

Thank you so much. Indeed there were several pieces in the box, and there are few buttons as well, but that I figure them out on my own, hence I did not add them on the photo.
No 5 and No 6 has a yellow metal seatings, and may be part of the same set, whereas the buttons (not in the photo) are sterling silver. I will post a photo for you with all of them tomorrow, it would be interesting to see if you think they are a set.
Kind regards,
Simona

 

Lovely, thank you, I also think that No 3 is made of another material, perhaps glass, they have much finer working, I will again take some photos of them too.
They are very interesting, can not imagine how they may have been used. They may also be cufflinks and missing a part.
Will post some photos of them tomorrow.
Thank you.

 

Finally, had a chance to take some photos for number 5. They have a mechanism, they need to be pushed back then they open.
Please let me know your thoughts.

 

Thank you so much, ai am catching up on my messages, please accept my apologies for the late reply.
The blue buttons looks like mosaic on the front, but they may be pressed glass. They had colours that rubbed off, gold sides, red side flowers and green middle flower. I can imagine they were very beautiful.
Please let me know your thoughts.

@MaJa

 

The blue ones are glass buttons, they were once coloured and my guess would be that they were supposed to imitate mille fiori

 

Victorian era blue glass buttons with a four-way box shank.

 

Missed this totally.

Those blue ones have a Neiger look.

 

I missed this one, too. Love #3, the blue ones.