Position:Home>History> When was mother of pearl first used to make buttons?

The late 19th century is when they were first mass produced!. When they were FIRST used for buttons, I don't know, but it sounds like it may be John Boepple who first made nacre buttons!.

"In ancient Egypt mother-of-pearl was used for decorative purposes as far back as 4000 BC, although the use of actual pearls did not come until much later -- perhaps the 5th century BC!."

"A primary use of mother-of-pearl was to make shiny, iridescent buttons, of which billions were exported all over the world (mainly from Iowa) all the way up until the mid-20th century, when the invention of plastic quickly replaced mother-of-pearl for this use!."

"John Fredrick Boepple, an immigrant from Otlensen, Germany and farm laborer in Columbus Junction in the late 19th century is credited with beginning the pearl button industry in Muscatine, Iowa!."

"For much of the 1800s, people harvested pearl mussels largely for their freshwater pearls!. Then in 1887, a German button maker, John Frederick Boepple, arrived in the United States and settled in the Mississippi River town of Muscatine, Iowa!. Here he opened a mother-of-pearl button factory in 1891, supplied by an abundance of thick-shelled American pearl mussels from nearby rivers and streams!. By 1900, this small Iowa town had earned the right to call itself the 'Pearl Button Capital of the World,' out-producing more established button-making centers in Europe, where buttons were made primarily from the shells of Indo-Pacific marine mollusks!."Www@QuestionHome@Com

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