Antique hand carved/cut and hand drilled shimmering mother of pearl oyster shell.
The concentric circles and dots are Buddhist symbols called Gandhara. The buttons are called Tany and are from the city of Gilgit in northern Pakistan on the Afghanistan border.
They were made as decorative elements for women's clothing.
The buttons are quite thick and sturdy, making them ideal for bags, coats, and wonderful in jewelry.
The backs are matte unpolished shell.
They measure 1 ½ - 2 ⅛" in diameter (3.8 - 5 cm).
