Collecting Antique & Vintage Nail Buffers

Have you ever wanted to collect something unusual but feminine at the same time? Well, then collecting antique and vintage nail buffers might be just the ticket. These have been popular since the Victorian era and are still sold today. History has shown that makers of the nail buffers manufactured decorative examples, turning a rather utilitarian item into an exquisite objet d'art. You might see a a buffer being used in an old Hollywood movie by a beautiful actress or remember your mother or grandmother using one to complete her manicure.

Manufacturers of vanity sets often included various manicure tools so that the everyday woman could maintain the look and health of her nails. The bottoms of the buffers were fitted with a block of wood covered with chamois leather which would buff the nail to a high shine. Many buffers had a small matching tray that would fit over the chamois to help keep it clean, or simply rested on a little tray, however, most of these have been lost to time.

Collectors may find buffers still part of a larger set, whether in travel boxes, roll up cases or even loose pieces missing their original presentation box.

If you are interested in collecting older buffers, you have a plethora of types that were manufactured during their heyday. Materials used were sterling silver, solid gold, gold or silver plate, brass, ebony, ivory, tortoiseshell or the later celluloid and Bakelite ones from the 1920s and 1930s, lucite and acrylic buffers were seen in the 1930s-1960s and other plastics came about later on. The manufacturing of buffers highlighted the various design periods, from Rococo, Victorian florals, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, Art Deco and Art Moderne. This guide concentrates on the older pieces, rather than the newer.

Gold:

Solid gold nail buffers are considered somewhat of a rarity for collectors today. Unfortunately, as with most gold vanity accessories, some people find that they are no longer considered a necessity and have been scrapped and melted down. Oftentimes this is the case with people who have inherited family heirlooms and have no interest in the objects themselves, and just concentrate of the value of the gold. This also occurs with the bulk lot of sterling silver examples as well. If you find a solid gold buffer, please try to save it from the pitiful fate of being melted down. Look for examples by Tiffany & Co and Cartier.

Beware of the gold-filled buffers, while not as easy to find, they are not as valuable. Gold filled buffers were made by bonding a layer of gold onto a base metal (usually brass) core. To be considered 'gold filled', the gold layer must be at least 5% of the total metal content. Most antique gold filled items were made with 12 karat or 14 karat gold. This is not the same as "gold plated." Gold plate consists of a thin layer of gold pressed onto a brass, nickel, or sterling silver base metal. It has a thinner gold layer than gold fill.

Sterling Silver:

I find that the Victorian era sterling silver buffers are some of the most prized. They range from simple shapes with very little decoration to highly ornate repousse designs of cherubs, Art Nouveau ladies with flowing hair and elaborate floral patterns, sometimes you can find a buffer with all three of these design elements! Both Gorham, Steiff, William B. Kerr, Wallace and Unger Brothers made some fabulous sterling buffers, be sure to seek these out. Be on the lookout for gorgeous Chinese and Japanese export buffers, too and French and British examples. 

Other sterling examples may have guilloche enamelling, usually done in soft, pastel shades. Foster & Bailey is a prolific manufacturer of these types, as was Birks, Thomae and Saart Brothers. Later pieces have darker, more vivid colors for the enameling. Take note that not all enameled pieces are silver, sometimes they are silver plated brass or copper or made of chrome or nickel so it's important to find those "sterling" marks.

Sterling examples set with jewels appear to be harder to find than others. Besides making beautiful enameled pieces, Foster & Bailey also offered sets fitted with amethyst jewels.

The hardest to find are the hinged sterling silver nail buffers, when opened, reveal a secret velvet lined compartment. These two examples below show the difference in ornamentation.

The three images below are taken from a 1907 catalog and depict sterling silver nail buffers with various designs.

Not to be dismissed are the lovely silverplated examples. These are often just as elaborately made as the sterling examples.

Animal Derived Materials:

Ivory, mother of pearl, abalone, horn, and tortoiseshell were also very popular during the Victorian era right up into the Edwardian era and the 1920s. Ivory implements were hand carved whilst the horn and tortoiseshell pieces were heated until pliable and then molded to form the desired shape. Designs and monograms could be etched into the material and then picked out in silver or gold, this is known as pique (pee - kay) work. Authentic abalone and mother of pearl was carved into shape. Genuine ivory has striations in it called Schreger lines, but be aware that celluloid has also been made imitating these lines. 

Some people today might recoil at the use of these objects, but at the time they were made, regrettably, it was regular practice. With the introduction of conservation laws concerning the animals from which ivory and tortoiseshell were obtained, their manufacture has ceased in modern times and rightly so. Over the years, I found out that there are activists who hold events specifically to destroy any ivory collectibles, whether they are antique or not. That being said, destroying an object made over 100 years ago will not bring back the animal. Personally, I do not condone the contemporary destruction of living animals in order to procure ivory or tortoiseshell. However, that does not mean that I do not collect antique objects made using these animal derived materials. I feel it would be an injustice to the animal who had to die for this object to be made and not use it, in essence, making the death of said animal pointless. I feel the same way about fur. 

Finding these objects of natural material is getting harder to find online due to restrictions placed on countries and therefore selling platforms. If you do find something, please check with your country's customs laws regarding importation or exportation of said material. There are exceptions to the ivory ban, depending on when the ivory item was crafted or its age. Despite laws and outright bans, the desire for genuine ivory and tortoiseshell has not waned and each year animals are still being slaughtered to meet this demand.

There are those who have been able to get around these prohibitions by calling the material by a different name. Genuine tortoiseshell is often sold as "shell", "marine shell" and even "faux tortoiseshell." Using terms like "faux tortoiseshell" in place of genuine can be confusing as there are plenty of materials used to imitate the look of tortoiseshell such as celluloid, resins and other plastics. I also see "Chinese ox bone" used in place of genuine ivory. While carved bone was used, you can make distinctions by looking for the Schreger lines of ivory. It's not always easy to tell material on a computer or phone screen, so don't be afraid to ask the seller questions and for extra pictures if needed.

Wood & Composition:

Also found are the rich, black ebony wooden buffers, these were often made in France or England. Although wood stained to look like ebony was also offered as a less expensive option. Finer examples often had small sterling silver medallions attached to the handle. Silver plated or nickel plated medallions were also used, so be sure to look for the "sterling" mark hidden in the design. If it says "German silver," it is a white metal alloy that mimics the look of sterling silver when polished, but in reality contains no silver at all.

Other wooden buffers can be found, satined in various colors to mimic mahogany or fruit woods. These too, may have sterling medallions or decorative inlays.

Composition was another material used for making nail buffers. Composition is generally a sawdust mixed with a glue or resin, poured into a mold, pressed, heated then taken out of a mold when cool. Composition was sometimes molded to resemble the ridged look of natural deer antlers (stag), tree bark or bumpy reptile skin.

Ormolu Enameled & Jeweled:

Gold plated brass or other base metals were also sold, my favorites are the jeweled filigree ones from the 1920s, companies who made these were Silvercraft and Apollo.  

French gilded bronze (ormolu) examples can often be found with enameling in rich jewel tones, these pieces may only be marked "France" or were only marked on other pieces in the set.

Early Plastics:

The celluloid buffers from the Edwardian period and into the 1920s often imitated ivory and tortoiseshell. Various companies came out with tradenames for their faux ivory pieces. These were generally marked "French Ivory," "Ivorine," "Hong Kong ivory," "Mandarin ivory," "Ivoroid," "Ivorite," "Parisian Ivory," or "Ivoride."

The earlier pieces were plain, but the 1920s saw more variety such as etching like that done on the genuine ivory pieces we covered before, as well as little glass rhinestones and elegantly enameled decorations that were seen in the Art Deco period.

Bakelite, Catalin and lucite buffers made their appearances in the 1920s-1930s. Sometimes they are indistinguishable except that much of the lucite was marked, though buffers were not always marked, so if your piece came from a larger dresser set, check the bigger pieces for a marking. Bakelite is in dark colors, while Catalin and lucite often imitated colors like jade, amber and orange. Solid colors and "Prystal" may have also been commonly used.

Beware: Celluloid is a fragile, flammable substance is and prone to deterioration such as crackling and discolorations caused by stains.

Porcelain:

Some of the more rarer nail buffers to be found today are the very lovely porcelain examples. Mainly made in Limoges, France as well as Germany and Austria, others were made in America at Lenox in Trenton, New Jersey. One company that I have seen more than others is Delinieres & Co. of Limoges. Their mark is "D&C France." German examples were made by Franziska Hirsch of Dresden.

Crystal:

One of the more unique pieces I have encountered was a nail buffer by Rene Lalique. Molded with his "Fleurettes" pattern, it was made up of crystal with a frosted finish and its handle featured a patinated flower motif.  

Copper and Enamel:

Also to be mentioned are the copper and guilloche enameled buffers. I have found that many of these are generally marked "England" and "Germany."

Conclusion:

There are many styles and materials out there for you to make a wonderful collection. Most of these can be found inexpensively on ebay, etsy and flea markets, more expensive versions such as solid gold I have only found via higher end online auctions. Don't forget to see if an elderly family member might have one tucked away in a vanity drawer somewhere. Consider adding one to your grooming routine for a touch of old fashioned glamour. 

I have had many requests on how to replace buffer pads and their chamois leathers. Here is the best advice I can give you:

If your buffer pad (block) needs to be replaced, you can look for a new buffer at a beauty supply shop or online, just be sure to measure the length and width you need. Remove it from its upper handle and affix it to your buffer handle. Your buffer handle may have small nails or rivets that need to be removed first. Note: you may come across buffing pads that are four sides, but these are not what you need.

If your chamois needs to be replaced, look online for pre-cut chamois leather that is used for pottery making. Be sure to measure your buffer pad and compare to the chamois leather you find online. You will of course, have to cut the chamois leather to fit the shape of your buffer pad. Just be cautious that there is faux chamois leather out there, you don't want this.

From these two examples below, you can see that there was two ways of affixing the chamois leather to the wooden buffer block: sewn and glued. If you need to remove the chamois from your wooden buffing block, you can simply cut away the seams of the chamois, but if your chamois is glued on, you may have to soak it in warm water to loosen the glue. Make sure your wooden buffing block is thoroughly dried before replacing the chamois.

Good luck and have fun hunting!