Rancho Cordova button collector Barbara Alfidi (right) and Dawn Healy are among Button Bazaar fans.

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The Californian Button Society will bring its potpourri expo back to Carmichael on March 8.

Dealers from throughout the West Coast will demonstrate that many antiques can slip easily through buttonholes. Enthusiasts might snag a Civil War uniform fastener for $50.

Those who crave exquisite 18th-century pieces should be prepared to unbutton the billfold.  

Snipped from long-ago rotted garments, many are thumb-nail masterpieces.

“We often look at old buttons and imagine the stories they could tell,” said Button Club member Susan Rhoades. “They were traded, stolen and inherited. Lives were lost in making them; pearl dust and mercury (for gold plating) killed many. You learn so much about history, art and manufacturing from buttons. They reflect the culture of fashion and the art that celebrates it.”

Art deco buttons commissioned by the House of Chanel are among many Button Bazaar displays.

Historically, no material has been too grand for button artisans. At the court of Louis XIV, aristocrats cinched bodices with diamonds. They fastened vests with commissioned miniature paintings of lovers, landscapes or pets. 

Though zippers and Velcro have revolutionized modern fastening, nifty little buttons have never been completely undone.

“People visit our shows show seeking that one perfect item,” said Sacramento collector Faye Wolfe. “Who knows what else they might find on the quest.”

The Button Bazaar runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 8 at the La Sierra Center, 5325 Engle Road, Carmichael. The show offers a free service for valuing buttons. Admission is by $2 donation. For more information, visit online sacramentobuttonclub.org.