In praise of buttons

Buttons are useful - and beautiful!

Here is a little bit about the history of buttons:

Buttons and button-like objects used as ornaments or seals rather than fasteners have been discovered in the Indus Valley Civilization during its Kot Yaman phase (c. 2800–2600 BCE)^[1] as well as Bronze Age sites in China (c. 2000–1500 BCE), and Ancient Rome.
Buttons made from seashell were used in the Indus Valley Civilization for ornamental purposes by 2000 BCE.^[2] Some buttons were carved into geometric shapes and had holes pierced into them so that they could be attached to clothing with thread.^[2] Ian McNeil (1990) holds that: "The button, in fact, was originally used more as an ornament than as a fastening, the earliest known being found at Mohenjo-daro in the Indus Valley. It is made of a curved shell and about 5000 years old."^[3]
Functional buttons with buttonholes for fastening or closing clothes appeared first in Germany in the 13th century.^[4] They soon became widespread with the rise of snug-fitting garments in 13th- and 14th-century Europe. (Wikipedia)