Ms Schiaparelli and Mr Giacometti were introduced to one another by French interior designer Jean-Michel Frank in the early 1930s.
They became lifelong friends and Mr Giacometti designed several key pieces for Ms Schiaparelli, who was often compared, and seen as a rival, to Coco Chanel.
Getty Images A black and white image of Elsa Schiaparelli wearing a silk turban headpiece, a black dress with a white ruff around her neck. She is looking away from the camera and is also wearing a number of bracelets.
Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel were seen as rival fashion icons in 1930s Paris, representing contrasting styles
Mr Quittenton-Shaw said experts struggled to value the buttons as there were only a handful of them in the world. The guide price was set at between £5,000 and £8,000.
“They had never come to auction market before and nobody had a value for them,” he said.
His research led him to find similar buttons on a suit, which was designed by Ms Schiaparelli in the 1930s and was housed in the Museum of Movie and Industry in Berlin.
Mr Quittenton-Shaw said he emailed the photos of his buttons over to the Alberto Giacometti committee, which said they warranted further investigation, but he had to wait for two months until their next meeting for verification.
Getty Images Image of Alberto Giacometti in a white shirt and dark tie leaning on a white table with three sculptures of three men. The picture is in black and white.
The buttons were made by famous Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti
After meeting Bonhams auctioneers, the Alberto Giacometti committee said they were genuine and offered to clean the buttons to prepare them for auction.
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