Clan bonnet badge makers & sizes

[OC Richard]

A recent curious purchase made me take a look at the various Clan Crest bonnet badges which I'm seeing for sale currently. Some are by still-current makers, some are "new old stock".

The modern Clan crest craze seemed to have been kicked off by Art Pewter Silver (established 1968). They made these elegant smallish (40mm across) bonnet badges, and put Clan crests on sginean, buckles, cufflinks, kilt pins, etc.



They were shortly followed by Carrick Jewellery (established 1971) who made bonnet badges in two sizes (40mm and 50mm across) as well as a tiny lapel-pin size, kilt pins, etc.



In the 1980s I worked at a Highland Outfitter that sold these Carrick things and we sold the 50mm badge as a Glengarry badge and the 40mm badge as a Balmoral badge. Here are the two Carrick sizes on these bonnets to show how the proportion of each type of badge seems right for the type of bonnet.



Recently I saw this line of badges by a firm new to me and I bought one. The card says Images Of Scotland. Googling didn't come up with anything that seemed to be connected to badge-making, except one reference that suggested that Images Of Scotland might be owned by St Kilda Group.



Well Lo And Behold when the new badge was compared to a vintage Carrick large (50mm) badge it was obvious that they had come from the same moulds. Note that the Images Of Scotland badge appears to be pewter while the Carrick badge appears to be Rhodium plated.



I had read back around 2005 that Carrick Jewellery had been obtained by Gaelic Themes. However Gaelic Themes were making their own unique line of Clan crest bonnet badges aimed at the Pipe Band market. They're slightly smaller (47mm across) than the Carrick large badge. The Gaelic Themes designs strike me as a bit modernist.



Here's a selection of bonnet badges for comparison.

Upper row L-R: Carrick large, Images Of Scotland, Gaelic Themes.
Lower row L-R: Carrick medium, Art Pewter Silver.



Seeing all of these together makes clear the rather heavy-handed Gaelic Themes style.

[Arnot]

If you look on the St Kilda Store website, you'll see that they sell a line of Carrick Clan badges along with their Gaelic Themes badges.

[OC Richard]

If you look on the St Kilda Store website, you'll see that they sell a line of Carrick Clan badges along with their Gaelic Themes badges.

I know that St Kilda Group has a number of firms
-Gaelic Themes
-RG Hardie
-Peter Henderson
-St Kilda Store

But earlier today when I was googling "St Kilda Store" all I was coming up with was an Australian firm. I somehow didn't see their UK site.

I have found several places selling "new old stock" Carrick items. What I wonder is, why would St Kilda Group sell three different lines of Clan crest badges? If they're already selling their own designs, and recasting the Carrick badges under the Images Of Scotland name. I suppose it's marketing, like them using the RG Hardie and Peter Henderson nameplates.

[Arnot]

I have found several places selling "new old stock" Carrick items. What I wonder is, why would St Kilda Group sell three different lines of Clan crest badges? If they're already selling their own designs, and recasting the Carrick badges under the Images Of Scotland name. I suppose it's marketing, like them using the RG Hardie and Peter Henderson nameplates.

They don't actually sell three. They sell their own and the large Carrick badges. Here is the link.

https://stkildastore.com/?gclid=EAIa...SAAEgIwoPD_BwE

[figheadair]

What I find most surprising is the fact that there is no defined way to arrange the strap and buckle . Having checked with Lyon Court they commented that the way in which the strap is folded is merely stylistic rather than anything else. So, the strap folding over or under is equally correct.

[Tobus]

Interesting comparisons, Richard! I'm glad you took the time to document their histories and show side-by-side comparisons of the styles/sizes. It makes it very easy to identify the makers.

The two clan badges I wear on my Balmorals are very different from each other. I couldn't remember who made them, as I've had them for over a decade. Clearly, one is Gaelic Themes and the other is Art Pewter Silver. I much prefer the finer or less "chunky" look of the Art Pewter Silver badge.

[OC Richard]

What I find most surprising is the fact that there is no defined way to arrange the strap and buckle . Having checked with Lyon Court they commented that the way in which the strap is folded is merely stylistic rather than anything else. So, the strap folding over or under is equally correct.

This is what looks right to me, simply because that's how I'm used to seeing the old waistbelts worn.





All the elements are there: buckle, chape, grommets.

You pass the end of the belt down & behind the belt, then over & through the loop, so there's less of the end to be dangling loose.

[OC Richard]

They don't actually sell three. They sell their own and the large Carrick badges. Here is the link.

https://stkildastore.com/?gclid=EAIa...SAAEgIwoPD_BwE

Ah, I see the Gaelic Themes and large (50mm) Carrick recast badges here

https://stkildastore.com/Clan-Items/Clan-Badges

The Carrick badges made when Carrick was still in business were Rhodium plated, you can still find "new old stock" Carrick badges being sold by a number of places.

The St Kilda Group Carrick recasts are pewter.

What I wonder about are the "Images Of Scotland" recast Carrick pewter badges. I had read somewhere that "Images Of Scotland" was part of the St Kilda Group.

That would mean that St Kilda Group offers three lines of Clan crest bonnet badges

1) St Kilda Group original designs in pewter sold under the "Gaelic Themes" name
2) Carrick recasts in pewter sold under the "Carrick" name
3) Carrick recasts in pewter sold under the "Images Of Scotland" name.

[Micrographia]

Another to add to your comparisons if I've got the image upload process correct - vintage (and well-worn), no markings on the rear of the badge at all. An old Morrison badge, also used by the Lewis pipe band I believe. 35mm wide, a little over 40mm high.

IMG_2280.jpg

Regards, EEM

[McMurdo]

Richard this is another of my Clan Bucklers I got this on Ebay but was not able to find the old listing. Posting as it looks a bit different than the examples you have shown.