Shell buttons

It was OCQ tonight and we had a talk from a lady all about buttons. She knew her stuff but wasn't the most inspirational speaker. A couple of things really were interesting. One was the corozo buttons. It is also known as vegetable ivory and comes from a nut that grows on the Tague Tree - a type of palm tree. These were so tactile. 

Another button, which is one of my favourites are shell buttons.  Real shell buttons are cut from shells as pictured. This drilled shell was a thing of beauty in itself.