A Qing dynasty Mandarin official’s hat finial/button of an opaque blue glass sphere set in a brass mount of petal design topped with a longevity charachter.

Often referred to as 'mandarin buttons' in the West, hat finials like this were used by Qing dynasty officials and the nobility to distinguish the ruling elite and government from the general population. The colour and shape of the finial depended on the wearer’s rank. The opaque blue colour of this finial signals that the owner was a member of the fourth (4th) rank.