Mother antique French Jet Button necklace
Antique French Jet mourning buttons with pressed sun design. Matching buttons in different sizes are referred to as Mother/Daughter in the button collecting world.
These buttons now adorn vintage NOS (new old stock)glass beads
Mother button: pendant measures 2 inches
24 inch beads
Daughter button: pendant measures 1 1/2 inches
17 1/2 inch beads
The Victorians had a mourning dress tradition which was simply a symbol for letting others know they had lost a loved one. Queen Victoria's mourning buttons were made from expensive jet, a petrified wood found in bogs outside London, not the typical black cloth covered button. To meet the fashion demand for a new affordable black button Paris began the production of 'French Jet', black glass buttons.