What tartan is this?

[Nathan]

I cannot help with the tartan, but your comment about the grouse claw pin has had me thinking. "---------an heirloom"? Well of course it is, but "----of significance to their Scottish culture"? Well again, of course it may well be to the person who bought it, to the person who wore it and to their successors, but in general terms, I am not at all sure that a pin such as you describe could be described in general Scottish terms as a significant part of Scottish culture. In fact many of these grouse claw artifacts were worn as brooches. My mother had several as did many ladies of that era and indeed some men wore ---some may still do so---- them as kilt pins, but whilst you can still see them for sale on occasion, they are not the fashion item that they once were. But a cultural item of significance? Hummmm, I am not so sure.

The item has a sterling silver thistle motif on it and a Topaz which is what I meant when I said culturally significant. Perhaps that language would be a bit strong outside of the context of their own familial perception, so If you prefer I could say culturally symbolic. I hope you won't protest the idea that the thistle is a recognizable symbol of Scotland.

Regarding the gender side of things, this item was used to pin a ladies skirt so it can still be culturally significant even if it's mainly a female item. That said, I have heard the grouse claw mentioned as a popular choice for kilt pins in Scotland long before I saw this one. Case in point, when lamenting that my silver kilt pin was a bit fancy for day attire, Darren Purse of local kilt vendor Cairngorum Scottish Imports mentioned both the grouse claw and the antler (stag horn) as popular kilt pin options for day wear over a year ago to me. He's from Scotland his store is a division of William Glen & Son of Callander, Scotland who have been in the Highland attire business since 1869. This isn't the only time I've run across this.

My few occasions could be viewed as the fallacy of the small sample, but a) when the items are listed on auction sites they are being sold as "kilt pins" not "brooches". b) Some of them appear to be quite old. c) They seem unisex in appearance and are a by product of the hobby of hunting fowl.

I don't claim to be an expert on grouse talon pins here, but the item is recognizably, symbolically and historically Scottish, it belonged to a Scotswoman who brought it to Canada from the old country and whose family have passed it down with "Gran's kilt" ever since.

Scotland is a big country with lots of people making lots of fashion choices. I have a photo of myself with a Scottish Highlander in a recent thread. He's wearing a charcoal day tweed, ecru hose, a semi-dress sporran, and a solid coloured tie and flashes that match his kilt.

I've read on here that such choices would never be made in the Highlands... Just sayin'.

In fact, here's that pic along with the skirt in question AND the kilt pin under discussion.