These Black Cliffs glass buttons are approximately 22 x 28mm however do vary in size and shape (making each one unique) and are made from shaped shiny black glass.

We list them as singles- however if you buy a set together we will try and select like sizes/colours to go together.

We present them without backs, as they were when we bought them from Lionel Nichols himself. That way, you can turn them into jewellery – as Nichols did with pieces in the 60s, stitch them to garments as eye-catching embellishments or cherish them as part of your button collection.

In case you prefer them as buttons, we also include the button shanks as a separate option in the listing- it just takes a little dab of metal-to-glass glue for them to adhere them to the backs of the glass pieces.

As these are vintage glass- we recommend hand washing only.

History & Provenance

Lionel Nichols made handmade glass buttons from his workshop in Marylebone, London between 1946 and 1966. His customers included the likes of Hardy Amies and Norman Hartnell as well as Harrods and, later, the Carnaby Street boutiques of the Swinging Sixties.

Nichols worked alone, firing the raw glass himself in a furnace and hand-crafting and moulding the buttons using metal tools and found objects to create wonderful textures and patterns. Many have an exquisite iridescence that adds to their individuality.

The Nichols buttons in our collection were bought from Lionel Nichols himself after he retired.