Although the book has hundreds of button illustrations, it is much more than a coffee-table book with a lot of pretty pictures. The captions and the accompanying text provide solid educational information that the reader can apply to new buttons they may encounter in their future col­lecting. From our initial contact and subsequent discussions, I could tell that Ms. Cohen spent quite a while research­ing the subject thoroughly. She has been a teacher for all of her adult life and an enam­elist for many years, having previ­ously written books on enameling for enamelists. In this, her latest effort, she explains all aspects of enameling to people who specifically collect enamel buttons. I am confident that this book will become a valuable tool in the armory of the but­ton collector. It ranks along The Big Book of Buttons, Fairbairn’s Book of Crests of the Families of Great Britain and Ireland, and Buttons by Diana Epstein and Millicent Safro.

– The Button Queen Ltd., Martyn Frith, Managing Director

Enamel has an allure that perhaps is stronger than that of gold, at least for me. And although it has taken a dozen years for me to build up a modest collection of enamel buttons, I still need to study and understand more about how these beauties were made. So when Karen Cohen wrote her latest book, Enamel Buttons: An Essential Resource for Collectors, I bought a copy, anticipating a masterful guide to enamel buttons. I was not disappointed!
As one who has embraced the enameling technique since she was a youth, Karen has developed her skills over a lifetime and has shared in this book her knowledge of not only the history of enameling, but also the various enameling techniques, styles, and production of enameled buttons in various areas of the world. The easy-to-navigate format makes learning about enamel buttons a pleasure.
A thorough examination of enameling as it relates to buttons, this book features numbered photographs of many examples, which are cross-referenced in the text at various places, where appropriate. This feature allows the collector to gain a deeper understanding of concepts and to see examples that illustrate these concepts. Included throughout the book are “Enamel Tech Talk” sidebars which provide additional details that complement the discussions of the various enamel types and methods.
The six appendices add yet other valuable information about look-alikes, restoration, terminology differences, and Japanese enamel terminology. The last appendix, a checklist, enumerates every possible type of enamel button collectors might want to acquire and includes a blank for writing the catalog number for that button (for those who catalog their buttons by number).
For collectors who want to know about their enamel buttons, this book is indispensable. I will treasure this book as much as I do my enamel buttons!
--Carole Koontz, Editor, The Buckeye State Button Society Bulletin
Reprinted from The Buckeye State Button Society Bulletin, with permission
 

– Carole Koontz, The Buckeye State Button Society Bulletin

Karen Cohen is an active enamellist, teacher, author of two previous books on enamelling, and an expert on enamelled buttons. Her new book comprehensively covers enamelled buttons from the mid-18th century to the present. It speaks to collectors, to enamellers and to people following trends in dress fashion.
     The undoubted, most immediate appeal and importance centres on the several-hundred representative and significant, well-coloured illustrations. With these and detailed captions, it is the first direct reference source for collectors and connoisseurs, for whom the end papers include guide lists for assessing pieces. Enamellers will find how extensively and adroitly the various art techniques have been very stylishly produced on the small format of buttons. The modern progression is also detailed and illustrated with the work of several present day artist-enamellers who make singular display buttons with innovative designs.
     This highly individualistic, excellently illustrated book is certainly a very commendable addition to the literature on enamelwork as well as for button collecting.

– Erika Speel, Journal of the Guild of Enamellers Spring 2025

I ask myself: “What is a good reference book?” For me, it is to enjoy the read while gleaning from it the best parts: beautiful photos and bits of knowledge.

Ms. Cohen’s book, Enamel Buttons, An Essential Resource for Collectors, is just such a good reference book. It is one of beauty, knowledge and clear vision. Collectors and enamelists, in particular, will learn much about enamel history, like when and how Basse Taille was first created. Button collectors will also learn the ABCs of enamel and its techniques and how to differentiate between them. It is quite an achievement to teach the mysterious art of enameling through these enchanting tiny pieces of artwork. As an enamelist I was fascinated with such beautiful enamel objects which I had never encountered before.

The first time, I just looked through the book, admiring the beautiful pictures. Then, of course, I read the section about my art at the end of the History chapter (I’m in all three of Ms. Cohen’s books). After that, I just read here and there. The second read however, I started from the first word and slowly read the whole book going back and forth, as the book instructed, to see an example or read a relevant paragraph. That is when the joy began. Ms. Cohen explains in detail every technique and aspect of enameled buttons, using button photos to illustrate each point. It feels as if the book’s information expands with each reading. Even the index entries for each technique will help the collector learn, as each lists all buttons of that technique in the book. 

It might be that button enthusiasts will say that they don’t need all this knowledge and enamel artists will dismiss such small objects, but both camps will do well to just open the book and follow the trail Ms. Cohen weaves. Looking at a button and knowing more about its technique, the type of enamel used and possibly when it was created increases the pleasure of owning such a button. This also ties us to the artists who made them. Reading this book is like finding your way around a treasure box and every time it opens there is something new to interest and enlighten.

-Ora Kuller 

Reprinted from The Enamelist Society Newsletter - Spring 2026 with permission.

 

– Ora Kuller, The Enamelist Society Newsletter