Little Blue

I was feeling a little blue today on account of some sad news; and hence I'm sharing a little blue button made of Prystal Bakelite. This is the third blue button I've posted this summer and this one's perched on a small wooden easel. Blue Bakelite is by far the hardest Bakelite color to find. If you find a button made of blue Bakelite, count yourself lucky! This button puts forth a truly special glow.

-Sherbert McGee 

Double-Cut with BLUE!

Let's look at some double-cut buttons today. Here are three of them, all Bakelite and each with a distinctive design. The smallest is bright maroon; and it gleams like a dollop of raspberry jam. The medium-sized button is creamed corn with rounded cuts on the topside that deliver a striking, art deco vivacity. The largest button is a rare blue beauty with some patina in the grooves. This button has me so amazed that I've taken a second photo of it, held up to the clouds—to really show off the brightness of the electric zing! Double-cut buttons are unique in that they're cut differently on the top than they are on the bottom. You can see through the cuts to the dissimilar design underneath. Circa 1930. -Sherbert McGee

Blue & Bejeweled

Imagine my surprise when I first saw this glorious blue Bakelite button. Aside from the rarity of blue Bakelite, this enigmatic vision also presents a silvery piece of mother-of-pearl that's been etched with a spiral design. A difficult button to photograph, I added some extra light to really bring out the Prystal glow of this major curiosity. Isn't it magical? Like the shimmery greenish blue of a Caribbean sea, this button's extraordinary color reminds me of a bright, royal blue cocktail. Drink up!

-Sherbert McGee

Blue Christmas

'Tis the Season! I was going to post this button later this month on Christmas day, but I can't wait any longer. There's snow on the ground and now's the time for this major blue charmer (made in the 1930's). The middle of the button is apple juice Bakelite that's been carved with a couple of dancing tulips—their stems wavering in balletic elegance. But it's the Prystal blue rim that makes this a true miracle button. Almost a Caribbean hue and deep enough to house dolphins, this is the blue lagoon of blue Bakelite. So rare and exciting and decidedly festive.

Visit Doreen's online store:
BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC 

-Sherbert McGee 

The Winter Blues

Here's a pair of buttons meant to ward off the winter blues. The cold season is fast approaching and I'm bracing myself for the guaranteed ice and the inevitable gloom. Hewn out of deep blue Bakelite, the rarest of all the Bakelite colors, today's post features an elephant staged on a shapely art deco motif with stylized carvings at play. Pretty enough to counteract a blizzard, these old charms are at rest now on my window sill—poised to fend off the looming chill and my wintry woes.

Visit Doreen's online store
Click here: BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

-Sherbert McGee

True Blue

It's time I post a very special button in the rarest of all the Bakelite colors. Here it is: a true blue collector's item in the transparent class of vintage plastic known as "Prystal" Bakelite. This one is noteworthy because it's the only carved button in my small cache of Bakelite blues. On a side note, it took me twenty minutes just to get this button to stay balanced on its rim for today's photo session. Alas, the button stands! In honor of this rarity, here's a snippet of Madonna lyrics from one of her majesty's most under-celebrated chart toppers: 

True love,
You're the one I'm dreaming of.
Your heart fits me like a glove
And I'm gonna be true blue
Baby, I love you...

-Sherbert McGee    

Blue Prystal and Blue Moon

Alas, blue Bakelite is not a myth. It's probably the rarest of all the Bakelite colors and the toughest to identify since it often manifests itself in arguable blue-greens and iffy teals. As far as I can tell, blue Bakelite comes in two varieties: 1. Prystal Bakelite and 2. Blue Catalin that (for some reason) didn't oxidize into another color over the years.

In the photo above I believe there are four Prystal buttons. See how the light leaves a fleck of blue within some of the shadows? That's an indication of Prystal Bakelite. Now notice that two of the buttons (at roughly 10:00 and 4:30) seem a bit more opaque with no trace of blue electricity in their shadows. I suspect that these are true blue Catalin buttons. Remember that "Catalin" is a brand of Bakelite. The Catalin company experimented with Bakelite's tones and color-blends and did indeed invent blue Bakelite. However, over the course of many decades, most Catalin-Bakelite that was originally blue has gradually turned green or black. Bakelite is a chameleon plastic in that it typically darkens over time and in many instances, changes color. Experts believe that excessive light may be what causes the color changes in Bakelite. Others suggest that it's the chemical nature of Bakelite to change. Whatever the case, these two blue, non-Prystal Bakelite buttons are still blue in 2016. Due to the extreme rarity of blue Catalin that's retained its original tone, this color of Bakelite is covetously referred to by collectors as blue moon.

-Sherbert McGee