Antique button earrings have been a longtime favorite of Emily's. This form, perhaps more than others, encapsulates luxurious ingenuity that spans centuries. As the name would suggest, the button earring story begins with 18th century men's waistcoat buttons that were often sold in boxed sets that included cufflinks. Think of shiny, embroidered and laced finery à la Louis XV or King George III that were held tight with extravagant jeweled buttons. This style passed from royalty to aristocracy and beyond, remaining au courant until the end of the 18th century, when foppish style was dialed-down. That is when we start to see these beautiful buttons being repurposed into earrings with the addition of a hooked ear wire. Buttons were made from countless materials that included foiled gemstones, paste, cut steel, etc. and could be simple, geometric shapes or elaborate clusters, many with decorative metallic backs. Today, people continue to add modern ear wires to 18th century buttons proving that they are an enduring style that transcends centuries.

This pair started as cufflinks and Emily fell in love with their scale, faded pink foils, and sunburst backs. They tick all of the boxes for a great example of a quintessential silhouette that would have pride-of-place in any Georgian jewelry collection.

England, ca 1780