My New Jewellery Box

Overall, I am very impressed with the outcome of the box as it could be used for something personal. In this case I have chosen to make it my new jewellery box! I tought it would be perfect to gold all ym numerous accessories. I think the colour is just right and my jewellery seems to all fit! yaaay
I think the box is very showy and garish which is a perfect thing to have for a jewellery box.

The Process of My Box Making

Well I firstly purchased the box from the chartitybox and sawed down the surface of the box inside and out.

I then painted the exterior of the box white to ensure that I had a good starting point.

I started to use the material to measure out the material to fit the box. This was a crucial process that I had to make sure was done properly.

After I had measured up the material accurately, I used a staple gun to keep the material in place.

I thought keeping the material the same way wouldn't be very ideal as it would still look boring and sombre. I decided to spraypaint the whole box gold.

With the buttons being placed on beforehand once spraypainted it created a very couture and luxurious effect. I thought gold often associated with wealth; it made the box appear as if it was a treasure box.

Buttons being my main theme I thought played a whimsical effect on the box and also managed to give the box an elegant touch.

Pearly Kings & Queens

The London tradition of the Pearly Kings and Queens began in 1875, by a man named Henry Croft.

He was very fond of the Costermongers who were a tough market traders.

He got to know more about their way of life, their generosity and their fashion of smoke pearl buttons sewn on the piped seams of their trousers, jackets, waistcoats and caps.

Costermongers were generous and they looked after people who were sick and less fortunate.

Croft wanted to follow these footsteps and decided he would like those who were less fortunate than himself. This included the orphanage where he had spent some of his life at.

He knew that in order to collect a lot of money he needed to draw attention to himself. So as Henry swept the market streets he started to collect all the pearl buttons he found that had fallen off of the clothes of people visiting the market, and when he had enough he started to sew them on his cap and then continued until his entire suit was filled, the very first smother suit.

Because Henry was an orphan he had no one to help him with his suit so he had to learn how to sew. It was this that started the tradition, which is still carried on by descendants of original Pearly Families, that the Kings do all the designs and sewing. Designs on suits tend to run in families but here are a few that you may see and recognise:

He knew that in order to collect a lot of money he needed to draw attention to himself. So as Henry swept the market streets he started to collect all the pearl buttons he found that had fallen off of the clothes of people visiting the market, and when he had enough he started to sew them on his cap and then continued until his entire suit was filled, the very first smother suit.

Because Henry was an orphan he had no one to help him with his suit so he had to learn how to sew. It was this that started the tradition, which is still carried on by descendants of original Pearly Families, that the Kings do all the designs and sewing. Designs on suits tend to run in families but here are a few that you may see and recognise:

Horseshoe = Luck
Doves = Peace
Heart = Charity
Anchor = Hope
Cross = Faith
Wheel = Circle of Life
Symbols of Playing Cards = Life is a gamble
Flower Pots = Costermongers
Donkey Carts = Costermongers

The Pearly tradition has survived for over 125 years and hopefully it will continue for many more to come. We still have a few families who can be traced back to the original generation of Pearlies. Henry Croft's family still carries on the tradition with his Great-Granddaughter wearing the title of 'Somers Town'.

I thought his work was very inspirational as he wasn't a very rich person in the beginning but because he dedicated himself to something he achieved I think more than he expected.

I thought his idea about buttons was very creative and eventually created a handprint on the fashion industry.

I thought his excessive use of buttons created a very garish effect on his clothes and it just showed how the simplest types of embellishment can create the most glamourous look.