Scottish heirloom jewelry

[Texasbadger]

My dear old mother is the historian of the family,,,lives on Ancestry.com and has this bit of handed down heirloom Jewelry from our Irish/Scottish ancestors.  Its sealed in a display box but we wonder what it is,,,for the hair or pin for a kilt type outfit or what?  In other words,,,,HEEEEEELLLPP!

[KC]

Having Scotch/Irish/French and German (in order words Heinz 57) I find this beautifully intriguing.

Too bad couldn't see the connector on the back.  A hair piece would definitely have a different fastener than one for clothes.

Feel that it is a woman's celtic pin/brooch! 

Are those etched fish?

[Texasbadger]

Its got a barrel hinge on the left and a decorated catch on right,,simple hook with a needle pin. Took a couple through the glass.

[D&b antiques]

could we get a look see at the clasp?

[Texasbadger]

Ok I pried it out of its display box,,,now craft gluing it back in,,,if you dont hear from me for a few days call the cops,,,my dear saintly mother has done me in!!!

[D&b antiques]

that clasp was commonly used from 1890 to 1920.

[Texasbadger]

Well that matches up close enough with her records of late 1880's so that works,,,Thanks!

[railman44]

I'm probably all wet but I'm wondering if it couldn't be a kilt pin?
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.weddingchaos.co.uk/images-drawings/highland-whole-thing.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.weddingchaos.co.uk/GroomsArea/groom-outfit-kilt.asp&usg=__lb38h90qPQo4ejnQvmDhpXi2KOg=&h=369&w=300&sz=27&hl=en&start=49&tbnid=Hn2Sze-xKrJIsM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dscottish%2Bkilt%2Baccessories%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D36

[KC]

I don't think it is...unless someone wanted a unique one - and typically in the past one would stick with tradition.

To me it appears that your pin isn't long or elongated.  A traditional kilt pin is longer than wide - more like an extra large safety pin with a decoration on it.  Although yours appears to be very old and does have a pin on the back, it doesn't have the traditional "elongated" style/look. 

It was very traditional for women to wear a brooch as a regular piece of their attire - it was used on their arisaidh for everyday until George II forbid it and would imprison for 6 months because it was a more "peasant look" when a woman wore a tartan this way.  In the later 18th century, the ladies of more "civilized" parts of Scotland began wearing gowns with tartan shawls or scarves secured by a ornate brooch -  this look had status!

[Texasbadger]

Its about the diameter of a fifty cent piece so brooch seems likely. Thanks all!

[Texasbadger]

Hey guys, I was prowling around the old ginormous family bible when a daguerreotype without a frame fell out, It looked interesting so I copied it and cleared it up with a program,,,and VIOLA there is my piece of jewelry being worn by a distant relative Oma Bradfield in Petersburg Indiana!  Supposedly her real name was Wyoming so the Oma nickname as opposed to the German meaning.  She worked at or ran an orphanage in the area.

[regularjoe2]

Cool find , Tex !

It's sure a nice feeling when research comes up with positive results , ain't it ?

[KC]

Wow....how neat!  You need to document that story as well....and if you reframe the brooch....put a copy of her pic and story on the back!!!!

Just love finding bits and pieces of the puzzles!!!

How cool she ran an orphanage!  Woman with a big heart! (I am very prejudiced having adopted 3 and one by birth......)

[talesofthesevenseas]

Very cool to find the brooch in an old photo! Keep the two together, it helps to document the jewelry! It's beautiful!

[Texasbadger]

Thanks all, made my dear old maw happy as well, shes off to get the whole deal rematted and framed.