Mother of Pearl Buttons

 Another little accumulation of buttons.  I have a big jar of mother of pearl buttons that I use for crafting but I set aside the ones that look "special" {to my eyes} in this little jewelry box.

 Have I mentioned I cannot resist vintage jewelry boxes - he he! They do come in handy.

 Let's take a peek inside.  I set aside the carved ones, unusual shapes or sizes and dyed ones.

And the especially large ones, sets and ones that seem to be of a better quality.  I'm not really sure if it is correct to call them mother of pearl, shell or abalone.  Maybe all of the above are correct and I have just never taken the time to learn the difference.  You can identify them by rubbing them against your teeth just like real pearls.  They have a gritty feel that plastic doesn't have.  Kind of creepy to sort a tin of dirty old buttons and rub them on your teeth but I do.  My confession for this post!