Scottish Silver ‘Luckenbooth – Iona’ Brooch (John Hart)

This beautiful, early Scottish sterling silver brooch, better known as a ‘Luckenbooth’ brooch - a traditional Scottish love token - (see Note below) features two intertwined hearts with a crown above, both being beautifully engraved. It was made in Glasgow in 1962 by a well-known and highly regarded Scottish silversmith ‘John Hart’. The silver brooch is a fine quality piece, is in excellent condition with a nice weight and solid feel to it and is stamped on the back with ‘John Harts’ signature mark, an entwined ‘JH’, ‘IONA’ and the Glasgow Scottish silver hallmarks. It measures 4,4cm x 3,5cm and weighs 10,3g.

Note: The ‘Luckenbooth’ brooch is a traditional Scottish love token given to a bride by her groom on her wedding day as a symbol of love (hearts) and loyalty (crown). They were also attached to either the bedclothes or clothing of a new-born child as it was believed to ease childbirth and insure good breast milk. The name is believed to have derived from the ‘locked booths’, a name given to the first jewellery shops in the 16^th century in Edinburgh, and ‘Luckenbooth’ was a Scottish word for a lockable stall or workshop.