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.