WH-024 - 17th to 18th Century Stuart Square Crystal Button - Cipher, Rock Crystal, Red Foil, Rare

This listing is one square 7/16 inch, red foil fading, but cipher is excellent. It is priced to sell. Perfect for a collector or museum. It is a rare button. I will do my best to take better photos if needed.

During the late 17th and into the early 18th centuries, these type of buttons were all the rage. The faceted rock crystal with gold wire of initials (known as "ciphers"), a lock of hair, skulls, or sometimes more complicated designs were briefly in fashion. They were usually made into a slide for a necklace, a pendant, a pair of cufflinks, or even shirt buttons!

There is no red foil inside this one as it seems faded, but the cipher is still perfect. It looks to be several letters. It is in excellent condition and looks to be made of silver.

My photos do not do them justice - it was very hard to get good detail in natural light.

If more photos are needed, just ask! The shipping price includes insurance to you - except for international customers of which it is included in the shipment.

"It was the popularisation of crystal, commonly known as the ‘Stuart Crystal’ c.1603-1714 in England, during the 1680s, which popularised the look of memento mori symbolism. Seen most commonly in rings and ribbon slides (worn at the neck or cuff), oval shaped bezels with faceted crystals reflected the light in the same way as a faceted diamond would. Underneath, gold wire cypher initials being flanked by memento mori symbolism and placed on top of hair, material or vellum was a way to display identity and relationship status through a jewel on the self." Taken from the Art of Mourning website.