An attelet, or hâtelet (French), is a small pin or skewer with an ornamented top, which was used to decorate entrées, largely in the 19th century.
They were intended not to be eaten; Dubois (1870) notes that "a guest may sometimes be tempted to take a hâtelet, garnished with a fine truffle, or an inviting cock's-comb; it is therefore necessary that hâtelets of this sort should not be counterfeited, or presented in a uneatable condition."
Word origins
From French, hâtelet, from French 18c, haste "spit for roasting meat" + -el and -et, diminuitive. e.g. "a small fork for roast meat"