Dishfunctional Designs: vintage glass buttons

Friday, December 14, 2018

Bohemian Czech Glass Button Pendant Necklace With Mermaid

"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way, where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over."

- Sea Fever by John Masefield

"A vintage Bohemian Czech glass button is the centerpiece of this pendant. The button I used had an attached metal and wire shank on the reverse side. These shanks are removable with pliers, but they are embedded into the glass, so removing the shank risks breaking the button."

- Laura Beth Love, Boho Chic Jewelry: 25 Timeless Designs Using Soldering, Beading, Wire Wrapping and More, 2014 FW Media, KP Craft

I love everything about this necklace, the color, the mermaid, the fact that it's a Bohemian Czech glass button, the beads... Rainbow Moonstone, Turquoise and Lapiz Lazuli are three of my favorite gems... (learn how to make you own button pendant like this one in my book Boho Chic Jewelry, in project: Vintage Button Pendant, page 105, Boho Chic Jewelry Book)

Yes, this is a project from my book Boho Chic Jewelry! As a matter of fact, this very pendant is one of the ones shown in the step by step instructions in the book. Did you know that when you write a DIY book like mine, that you need many copies of each project in different stages of completion? Yup, lots! This is so that the step by step photography moves along quickly and does not take forever!

So when I come home from a book photo shoot, I have multiples of each item - and now I am finally getting around to finishing off those that I hadn't finished and listing them in my Etsy shop for sale!

This is a large sized button, so it really is a statement piece. It's a pretty teal or blue-green shade and it has some gold color accenting the mermaid.

I hand-chose each of the beads, and as I said above, they are Rainbow Moonstone, Turquoise, and Lapis Lazuli. I think they coordinate very nicely with this unique piece! The textured link chain is on the longer side and measures about 24" in length.

This piece is available in my shop

What do you think?

Have a great week!

Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs

Article and images copyright ©Laura Beth Love for Dishfunctional Designs™ 2018 all rights reserved

Poem Sea Fever From SALT-WATER POEMS AND BALLADS, by John Masefield

Monday, January 23, 2012

Vintage Bohemian Czech Glass Buttons made into Jewelry

Sometimes great beauty can be found in a small simple household object, such as button. Some of the most beautiful buttons are Bohemian Czech glass buttons, which are made in Prague. A few factories still produce newer versions of these vintage beauties, using the same traditional molds, tools and methods that their ancestors did.

Czech glass buttons made into beautiful jewelry pendants by Dishfunctional Designs

Below is a glimpse at a small part of the tools and the process of making pressed glass buttons from molds. Some of the molds are well over 100 years old.