Page 14 - July2011

120 THE NATlONAL 13u'T'Ton BULLETlN July 2011

opening in the other half to
form a closure that looks like one piece.
As with most other related
specialties, buckles and clasps parallel
the construction and decoration of our
buttons and can be collected and competed in a similar manner. Buckles are made
of man-made and natural materials including bone, shell, wood, glass, synthetic
plastics and metals ranging from ordinary brass or pewter to gold and silver with
precious and semi-precious gems. Most forms of other material embellishment
(OME) and decorative finishes (DF) can be found, and all shapes are represented.
Other buckle-type fasteners are included in the buckles and clasps section.
These include men and women's shoe buckles which became fash-
ionable during the reign of Louis XIV in the late 1600s. They found
popularity in the American colonies in the early 1700s. Shoe buckle
designs ranged from elaborate jeweled versions with precious met-
als in the earlier period to the more common imitation jeweled ver-
sions of the 20th century. A steel and gilt example c. 1780 is shown
at lefts. A second device often found with buckle collections is the
sweater guard (see Satsuma example below right). They usually
have two identical ornaments, each with some type of clasp on the
back, connected by a chain. More than 80 examples of buckles and
clasps are shown in the Div IV online educational resource l .
So what's new in the proposed Blue Book Division IV revision
for buckles and clasps? A limited expansion of details including
types and specific design features is proposed to help the
novice better understand the range of possibilities for a
complete representation of buckles and clasps and to
provide guidance in writing awards. In addition, shoe
buckles and sweater guards are specifically recognized
in the proposed change.
FOOTNOTES
1. Button Country, a Division IV resource,
http://www.buttoncountry.com/Div4WorkshopHome.htm.
2. http://en. wikipedia.orglwiki/File:BeltBuckleOrdos3-1 CenturyBCEl.jpg
3. http://commons. wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belt_Arnegund_MAN87431.jpg
4. McGrath, Gerald H. and Janet Meana. Fashion Buckles, Common to Classic.
Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 1997
5. http://commons. wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Man%27s_shoe_buckles_c._1777 -1785.jpg