Antique French buttons are pocket-sized masterpieces. They’re intricately designed, historically rich, and made with the kind of craftsmanship you just don’t see in the 21st century.
At Potter USA, we strive to honor the legacy of jewelry-making, and that’s why this month’s March Mystery Box theme is French Buttons. We’re bringing you historical pieces made using the same techniques and tools that crafted the originals, so you can add a touch of history to your own work. Read about the story and craftsmanship of French buttons to see if this month’s Mystery Box is right for you!
A Glimpse into the History of French Buttons
France’s button-making peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries, becoming family crests, status symbols, storytelling pieces, and even political statements. During the French Revolution, buttons became a way to show political allegiance. Aristocrats and revolutionaries alike used them to express their positions, kind of like today’s enamel pins. They weren’t just functional—they were fashionable. Made from brass, silver, enamel, porcelain, and even pearl these buttons were engraved, hand-painted, and sometimes even adorned with tiny gemstones. Often, these French buttons contained more than a single material, making them the pinnacle of miniature metalsmithing.
Most French buttons were crafted by die-striking. A skilled artisan hand-carved a steel hub, engraving every minute detail into the metal–a difficult skill and a testament to their craftsmanship! That hub was pressed into a piece of metal under intense pressure–usually using a drop hammer, like the antique drop hammers still used at Potter USA–transferring the design. The result is a beautifully detailed, repeatable design that’s crisp, deep, and built to last centuries.
By the 19th century, mass production had changed the game in the jewelry industry, but die-striking remained a staple technique for high-end, quality buttons. It’s exactly how we create our dies at Potter USA, pressing the original hand-carved designs into steel so you can use them in your own metalwork.
The Masters Behind the Magic
One of the most legendary button manufacturers was Janvier Gruson Prat Wagner, founded in Paris, France in 1840. If you’ve ever taken a tour of Potter USA, you might recognize this name. Their hubs are so gorgeous, we have most of this company’s work on display.
Janvier Gruson employed a number of famous artists, like Armand Bargas and Félix Rasumny to name a few, and made everything from jewelry components to high-end buttons. With models numbering in the hundreds of thousands around the world, including in our collections, their work has been used in couture fashion, furniture, lighting, and even military uniforms throughout the last two centuries. We have dozens of fashionable buttons as well that span the eras of Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco styles.
In 2007, Janvier Gruson expanded their legacy by acquiring Coinderoux, an iconic die company that specialized in buttons for the French military. These military uniform buttons make up the bulk of our French button collection at Potter USA.
Janvier Gruson and Coinderoux set the standard for not only button-making, but all artistic metal-stamping. Their tooling is considered part of the National Heritage of France and the tried-and-true methods they used are exactly what we use at Potter USA.
Written by Brianna Shepard
March 2025 Mystery Box
We’ve created historical button dies from Paris, France for the March Mystery Box, encouraging you to craft your own die-struck pieces just like the masters of the past.
- Real French Buttons – These aren’t just pretty buttons, they’re from our actual collection of Janvier Gruson buttons
- Authentic Craftsmanship – Made using the same die-striking process as historic button makers
- Piece of History – You get to carry on the legacy of French metalwork in your own creations
Whether you’re a jeweler, metalsmith, or collector, this box is a must-have. Want in? Sign up by February 20th and look forward to emulating the elegance of French buttons in your work!