Vintage Kuchi Buttons - 44 Cone Shaped Tribal Buttons - Belly Dance

Lot of 44 vintage tribal Kuchi cone-shaped buttons for belly dance costuming DIY.  All are cone shaped, but small details are slightly different. Great small pieces for when you need just a little of detail on costuming, accessories or even boho clothing or household decor.

Tribal buttons have been taken from clothing and accessory items, household decor or even animal trappings and repurposed, maybe many times, in their tribal lifetimes. Buttons, like other tribal embellishments are used to adorn almost anything you can imagine.  Tribal buttons can be sewn on individually if you just need one or two, or can be sewn in groups or stung on braided cord and sewn into designs or patterns. These tribal buttons have been made by tribal craftsmen in Pakistan / Afghanistan.  In tribal life, vintage components and findings are often reused and repurposed to add adornment to new clothing, jewelry and accessory pieces. You can also find them adorning animals and objects that the owner wishes to keep safe from evil influences. As the item wears and eventually becomes unusable, the pieces that can be saved are repurposed to embellish a newer item. Think of them as the original recycling!

Item No. DMB1369
Button size:  From 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch across
Number of Buttons: 44
Metal Color:  From very brassy to silvery. Tarnished, some are dark.
Metal Finish:  Unpolished
Attachment Type:  Button shank or loop on the back for stringing or sewing. 
Design:  These buttons are cone shaped.  Some have small stacked granulations at the top, some have a loop.
Additional Info: Not all are matching in design, exact shape, size metal color or metal finish.  
All are loose, none on strings.
Country of Origin: Pakistan/Afghanistan
Condition: Vintage

You will receive the exact pieces shown in the photos on this page. Please check photos carefully for condition. These are USED buttons that have previously adorned tribal clothing, accessories, household goods, animal trappings or other items. They are hand-assembled. These buttons may have small flaws such as shanks being off center, small dents, or the edges may be bent or curled. Please check photos carefully for condition.

A NOTE ON THE CONDITION OF TRIBAL ITEMS: Our tribal components are used pieces from from faraway lands. As used pieces they may be tarnished or otherwise reflect their prior lives as treasured tribal pieces. Please know that we strive to maintain the tribal allure of our items and therefore we do not clean or repair these pieces in any way. This not only maintains the old, tribal look of each piece that our belly dance customers seek, but also preserves the value of a piece that cleaning, and especially polishing, might destroy.

We do our best to describe any flaws that may be present, and we encourage you to read the full description and look at all photos closely to judge the condition of the item for yourself and know exactly what you are ordering.  If you have questions about the condition of any item, please ask!

Tips for using DIY tribal buttons:
Buttons seem to be the one costuming item that puzzles people more than any other!  Frequent questions are "How do you get these attached?" and "Do you need a special or curved needle?"  And sometimes we even hear "I just can't get them sewn on!"  The trick is to do as the tribal people themselves do!  The easiest way is to braid some yarn (available in ANY color to match costuming) into a long piece.  Then take a piece of cellophane tape and make an aglet (think shoelace end) on one end of the braid.  Using the taped end, thread the braided yarn through the shank on the back of the button.  Repeat with as many buttons as you need, then sew the braided yarn down in any row or pattern that you like!  Another tip that we sometimes use for adding a few individually spaced buttons is to drill a small hole on each side of it and simply sew through the holes.  Use a 1/16 inch drill bit and be very careful.  Sometimes buttons are thinner metal and holes can be punched with an awl.  Of course, if your buttons are already strung on a cord or rolled fabric, you can simply sew the cord down to your costuming project and be done!