Kilt pin

[Mark Keeney]

I am in the market for a kilt pin with a little more individuality than the typical sword/clan badge/cross/Celtic knot squiggle style. I had been eyeing an antique kilt pin at kiltgoodies.com but I was too slow and I see it is sold now.

OK the question.

Is there anything out there you can point in my direction that you have seen? I just googled kilt pin and went through many sights of the same mass produced pins.

[Robin]

I departed from it with mixed emotions

[Mr. MacDougall]

Have you seen Centaur Design?

And Robin, your post is a bit cryptic... you departed from what? Standard kilt pin design? Care to explain what you mean?

[Robin]

I sold my favorite kilt pin last weekend



It's the most beautiful pin I ever layed my hands on, antique (1880 Edinburgh) hallmarked silver.

The guy who bought it was thrilled about it also, so I made someone happy and that's great

[Mark Keeney]

Have you seen Centaur Design?

Yes, I have and I have seen one in action from Hamish's post. I will alway kick myself for not jumping on the one Robin had.

[Robin]

This lady has some nice antique pins, prices are reasonable compared to what I've seen elsewhere

http://www.kiltpins.com

And the Highland stag pin she made is just...wow!

[Mr. MacDougall]

This lady has some nice antique pins

Yes, she does. Thanks much for posting that link.

And I know it's a completely modern squeemishness on my part, but, really... wearing the foot of a dead animal as ornimentation? How did that start? How do you look at an animal, and think, "Oh, I gotta have that foot for my keychain!"? (Or kilt pin, for that matter...).

[Robin]

The grouse claw is a lucky charm for Scottish hunters. Probably not worn during the hunt, one stroke past a branch or bush and it's damaged or gone. The grouse is hunted for it's flesh...not for it's feet.

Animal parts always been used as a decoration and hunting trophies (leather, teeth, tusks, antlers, fur, tails, feet, bones, or the head). Originaly animals were hunted for the flesh (food), hides (clothing) and bones/teeth/tusks (tools). Hunting just for the fun of it (elefants, big cats etc.) was a perverted Victorian upper class fashion.

A modern medal for bravery can be compared with an ancient hunter wearing a boar tusk necklace or a warrior with the head of a slain enemy attached to his saddle or spiked on his spear...out of fashion now

[Big Mikey]

Mark, please don't take this the wrong way but think outside the box. There are hundreds of potential kilt pins all around us. I am negotiating with a fellow to get a small acrylic dome that has a scorpion encased in it. It is about 2 1/2 inches across with a nice flat back. I think I can attach a pin and have a truly unique decoration.

Old coins are another option I am looking at. If they have some ferrous content, you can use a rare earth magnet to hold them in place.

These are just two of the things I am playing with. There must be many more so I keep looking with a slightly skewed eye!

[Panache]

Mark,

I'm with Big Mikey here. There are a lot of really nice "Official Kilt Pins" out there, but there are a huge number of brooches and pins that would make equally great kilt pins (even though that wasn't their original purpose).

The original kilt pin (according to the story) was a ladies brooch (albeit the Queen's).

I have a nice Black Shadow tartan kilt from Stillwater and this is the pin I wear with it.



If one looks closely you can read "Siouxie and the Banshees" written in script. It was a badge I picked up at one of their concerts. It makes a great kilt pin.

Think outside the box and watch your options multiply.

Cheers

Jamie