Page 47 - May1954

May, 1954 NATIONAL BUTTON BULLETIN 237

found there and she adfls-"1\ilsay of the glass buttons I have found here
are as beautiful as the old ones. Some of the black glass are covered with
fired gold, set with mother-of-pearl and rhinestones (the latter have
settings showing molded grains.') Others are finished in beautiful lusters
exactly like the old.
"X'or the most part the buttons have self-shanks or are sew-thrus. I
hztve found just about every shade except transparent red. All of the
ornamentation is done by hand and many are elaborately decorated. I am
enclosing photographs of some of the examples I have. I expect to have
some information for you before long on the making of these new glass
buttons."

TODAY',S PROCESS OF DAMASCENTNG tN fApAN
The actual examples showing the seven stages of damascene work
(illustrated here) were obtained by Mrs. Lucile Albright of California,
on a recent trip to Japan. Mrs. Albright visited the artisans who
produced very beautiful <iamascene buttons and brought back numerous
€xamples.

Courtesy of Mrs. Lucile Albright.Albright.
Lucile
The following explanation accompanied the step-by-step process-
(1) The first chiselling is more than 500 lines cut within one inch.
(2) The second. chiselling cut criss-cross over the first chiselling.
,
(3 4) Gold and silver foils and filaments are hammered into these
chiselled marks.
(5) This piece shows the metal face after being dipped into a
nitrate acid solution.
(6) Here, the entire surface is burned with lacquer.
{7) The natural gold and silver designs are brought out by rubbing
the piece with charcoal.
(8) A finished scalloped piece such as this is lastly set on a round
back foundation with a scalloped rim.