Quatrefoil

Antique French mourning button in quatrefoil shape

gold gilt collar with black glass center

sterling plated pewter ring  

The quatrefoil can represent good luck and the four corners of the earth

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. 

*always remove antique button rings before entering water*