Wikipedia:
shirt stud
Shirt studs are small, usually metal objects used to fasten the front of pleated or stiff-front shirts in lieu of buttons. They often have inlays of pearl, onyx or similar materials.
Shirt studs were born around the middle of the nineteenth century, when shirt fronts became too stiff to close with buttons. This is rarely the case anymore, and shirt studs are now primarily ornamental.
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