Pure Prystal

Prystal, a transparent variation of Bakelite, is an interesting subcategory of the famously charming plastic. Here are three examples of Prystal buttons: 1. a chunky drum in a bright shade of red that I like to call cherry juice. 2. an apple juice "trinket button" in the shape of a bowling pin. 3. a large and glowingly rare orange button (and the only example of orange Prystal that I've ever seen, courtesy of my friend Doreen). All of these buttons exude a shimmering clearness. They are extraordinary.

Visit Doreen's online store:

BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

-Sherbert McGee

Otherworldly Prystal

Greetings, folks! Today I'm spotlighting this very unusual button—and a spacey find indeed. Feast your eyes on a faceted hunk of mossy green Bakelite at rest on a Prystal red saucer. Of all the color combinations I've seen on Bakelite buttons, this one takes the cake. The green Bakelite has black swirls mixed into its formula while the red Prystal emits an eerie brightness with the intensity of a laser beam. Welcome to Christmas on Mars. This is one weird button!

 

And here's another trippy button that combines Prystal Bakelite with standard Bakelite. The top of this one is a smooth cap in shimmering black (left pic). Underneath the black Bakelite, the base of this button is a Prystal plate in electric green (right pic). What's more, the Prystal is carved in eight spots at the bottom with a thickly golden dose of patina embedded in the design. In all my years as a collector of Bakelite buttons, I've never seen another button with carved workmanship applied to its underside. When viewed from the top, the carved spots appear within the green Prystal, but only at certain angles. Once again, this button is a major weirdo. A space alien made of vintage plastic!

 

Visit Doreen's online store:

BUTTONS FROM THE ATTIC

 

-Sherbert McGee

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 

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

Smalls: Day Five

All the Bakelite smalls I've been posting this week culminate now with this final post. Here we have an assortment of antique buttons that each measure approximately half-an-inch across. These little buttons go back to the early 1930's and truly exude the nostalgic allure of the olden-days. What I've loved about this week's assortment of Bakelite smalls is that all the standard colors of Bakelite have been spotlighted. Scroll back across this past week and you'll see a plastic rainbow of the following ten, traditional tones of Bakelite as listed here:

1. Red
2. Orange
3. Creamed Corn (light yellow)
4. Butterscotch (dark yellow)
5. Green
6. Maroon
7. Chocolate Brown
8. Licorice Black
9. Rootbeer (tortoise)
10. Apple Juice (transparent)

Aside from the spectrum of colors depicted in these posts, the shapes have also run the gamut. Looking at today's post, my favorites are the pair of trefoils in black and creamed corn. Also, check out that red toggle in Prystal Bakelite with carved notches running along the topside. All together, these buttons form a virtual charm bracelet of unique forms and a vibrantly playful blend of styles. 

-Sherbert McGee      

Smalls: Day One

As I mentioned last month, I'm going to post a full week of Bakelite "smalls" and here we begin! Buttons measuring approximately half-an-inch across, smalls are are nothing new on this blog; but I rarely feature them for five days in a row and tend to collect the bigger buttons. What's interesting about these smaller-sized babies is the amazing variety. Looking at this assortment, I see an art deco greenie with a grilled facade, a Prystal trefoil in shimmering cherry juice and a butterscotch leaf with decorous carvings. Keep an eye out for more Bakelite smalls tomorrow.

-Sherbert McGee 

Green Clover

Leading up to today, I've been posting green buttons all week and here's the grand finale: a shapely shamrock in Prystal Bakelite from the 1930's. Most unusual, the buttonholes on this old antique are framed with metallic squares. Although they're a little rusty and tarnished, these are smart squares. And here's a smart limerick to enhance this lucky charm:

One Saturday morning at three,
A cheese vendor's shop in Paree
Collapsed to the ground
With a thunderous sound,
Leaving only a pile of de brie.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day,
-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 

No Frills: AJ Buttons

A neighbor of mine recently invited me to dig through her button drawer in case she owned any Bakelite. She did! I scored these two apple juice beauties, both of which tested positive for the much sought-after plastic (probably Prystal Bakelite, more commonly referred to as apple juice). Neither button is in perfect shape and they're a bit bland, but so what? When it comes to Bakelite, even the Plain Jane buttons are extraordinary. This pair of treasured oldies goes back four generations in a family of seamstresses from the Dakotas. circa 1920.

-Sherbert McGee

September Valentines

Love is in the air! Here's a pair of buttons that date back to the 1920's. The bases are creamed corn Bakelite while the top, heart-shaped pieces are Prystal Bakelite. Quaint and romantic, this yummy set smacks of vintage valentines if not a couple of strawberry jelly dollops riding on perfect slices of melty, yellow butter. Mmm Mmm, good!

-Sherbert McGee

Eerie Oddity

It's been a while since I've posted a button made of Prystal Bakelite, so here one is. The border of this strange magic is apple juice Bakelite. The centerpiece is what's especially unusual: a big chunk of spacey and shimmering green Prystal Bakelite that's been carved at the base. The carving shines through to the top surface, a weblike nexus of lines as intense as gathered-up lightning bolts! This button's been in my collection for years and years, but I have no memory of where I picked up such an eerie oddity. Maybe it was gleaned from an otherworldly dream?

-Sherbert McGee

Smooth Decorator

Last year I posted a button similar to this one, but the middle spot was green. This one is bright red. Smooth and glassy, the red and apple juice areas both tested positive for Bakelite. The AJ border may very well be an example of Prystal Bakelite. What's certain is that once upon a time this old button decorated something with a perfectly charming effect. Circa 1930.

-Sherbert McGee   

Prystal Leaf

Last of the leaves, I've been posting them all week and here's the grand finale. At first glance, you might think you're looking at a sculpted Jell-O delicacy topped with a metal badge. That's actually pretty accurate. This is a Prystal button, greenly electric and carved around the edges to accentuate the leaf motif and then crowned in a brass escutcheon, which is also leaf-shaped (and secured with sturdy pins). Who in the world came up with such a bizarre concept for a mere button? For those not familiar with Prystal, it's a variety of Bakelite plastic that's completely transparent. circa 1930.

-Sherbert McGee   

Glowingly Green

By now it takes a lot to blow my socks off when it comes to Bakelite buttons, but every now and then I find something that truly surprises me. Enter this stunning quintet in the most electrifying shade of green that I've ever seen. I've only had these buttons for a short period of time, but I'm still oohing and aahing at their strange magic. Like pudgy gems or otherworldly seeds, these are tiny buttons for tiny baby fingers and my how they glow! A flush of cloudy swirls accentuates the mystique inside these luminous wonders and it's almost as if the Northern Lights have injected their famous gleam into this rare batch of roly-poly antiques. These buttons are made of Prystal Bakelite.

-Sherbert McGee