Men throughout Europe wore silver buttons with their traditional costume in the 19th century. Most European cultures disapproved of male jewellery, but buttons allowed men to show off their wealth and status. Silver filigree buttons had been synonymous with rural dress since at least the 16th century.

Swedish men wore several different kinds of button. These tiny buttons formed part of a set of 12 waistcoat buttons. Their front is entirely covered with small filigree coil rings and coloured glass, which is typical of the buttons worn in Småland and Blekinge. Although these buttons rarely carry any marks other than the maker’s mark, they were almost all made in the town of Karlskrona. Two of these buttons have a very worn maker’s mark, which is probably CFL. Carl Fredric Lillja was a Karlskrona silversmith, working from 1811-1841, who specialised in traditional jewellery. One of the others was probably made by Niclas Pettersson, who worked in Karlskrona from 1814 to 1836.