Luckenbooth Brooch also known as a Shirt or Kerchief (Fichu) Buckle

     I have finally introduced a reproduction brooch that was made after an original 18th century Luckenbooth pin with the crown.  The original was owned by a friend.  She allowed me to borrow it as I needed to take a photo and measure it in order to have it recreated.  It was an honor just to hold it!

 

Original pin - front and back

     Working with my manufacturer, the final result is stupendous!  The quality is also amazing for a plated piece, and I'm very satisfied with the result.  They is made with rhinestones and measure 1 inch wide by 1-1/2 inches high.

     As many know, I love color.  I went a little overboard on these - but decided to offer a variety (as is my business motto) at reasonable rates.  Creating the traditional silver and clear paste version, I am also offering the same thing in gold - realizing that many like to shake it up a bit and like gold over silver or vice versa.  In the 18th century, they often gold-washed silver which is what we call vermeil today, but then it was a plating (not the same technique we have today).  It can get confusing, but let's just say there is something here to satisfy everyone here.  

Eunice Huntington Devotion, Winthrop Chandler, 1772 in the Lyman Allyn Museum, New London, Conn Detail

     You will also notice that I did have some made with a color heart and a clear crown.  I have also seen these in extant examples of originals - and they were worn well into the 19th and 20th centuries - bringing them back now in the 21st to wear for everyday or your living history needs.

     Overall, I had made in silver and gold-plate - clear, amethyst, amethyst/clear crown, garnet, jonquil, montana blue, garnet/clear crown, amethyst, olivine, rose, peridot, and emerald.  

John Murchie by John Durand at The Valentine 1780 detail

     These became available for purchase on 10 July 2019 in my Etsy shop.  Check them out and get one for every outfit!

 Amethyst with clear crown

Garnet

Jonquil (which is a yellow/green color)

 Peridot

Olivine

 Garnet with clear crown

     Some of you may be interested in where the name "Luckenbooth" comes from. Well, luckenbooth is a Scots word for a lockable stall or workshop. It comes from the 15th-century luckenbooths of Edinburgh where silversmiths and goldsmiths sold their jewelry and trinkets, situated on the Royal Mile between Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyrood (sadly the stalls were demolished in 1817). One of the most popular items sold in these shops was what came to be known as the Luckenbooth brooch, a heart with a crown on it. One legend of the original Luckenbooth brooch is that it was a symbol of love and devotion given by Mary Queen of Scots to Lord Darnley which was soon copied by the crafty jewelers of Edinburgh.  The Luckenbooth heart and crown has become a popular symbol in Scotland, both as a love token and to ward off evil and protect the wearer.