Men throughout Europe wore silver buttons with their traditional costume in the 18th and 19th centuries. Most European cultures disapproved of male jewellery, but buttons allowed men to show off their wealth and status. They wore them in extravagant numbers, on sleeves and trousers as well as jackets and waistcoats. The most popular kinds, throughout the region, were round filigree buttons, which varied in design and details of construction from place to place.

Silver filigree buttons like these, called 'braamknopen' (blackberry buttons) in Dutch, are one of the most common types of Dutch button. They are now considered typical of Zeeland, but in the 18th and early 19th century they were worn throughout the Netherlands, and along the North Sea coast of Germany as well. They are still being made today in much the same pattern as in the 18th century.

These buttons, linked together in a pair, were used to hold the neck of the shirt closed. The use of buttons as collar links precedes their use in fastening clothes in many European countries. The round link is typical of northern Europe. In southern Europe the links were usually oval in shape.