Sterling Silver Luckenbooth Heart Pendant on Chain - A Georgian Era Reproduction

Description: This is a modern twist on a 17th to 18th century traditional Luckenbooth shirt buckle and Luckenbooth brooch. The original artifact was copied to reproduce this item which is shown as it looked after being recovered in the pictures. It was saved from the property of a wealthy prominent founding family in the North Eastern Massachusetts region, where many early European contact settlements are located in the United States. As a pendant you can wear these Scottish symbolic hearts which have a rich and intriging history spanning centuries that were gifts of love and loyalty to being good luck tokens warding off evil. This pendant is made in sterling silver and it is presented on an 18" 1.6mm cable link chain that is also sterling silver. It is made with your choice of an antique oxidixed finish to make the details stand out or with a high polished finish without antiquring for a brighter shinier look. The perfect gift for history lovers, Revolutionary war or 17th & 18th century reenactors.

The Luckenbooth name originated in Scotland and was derived from the name of the shops that sold these as trinkets. Wikipedia has the full history of the Luckenbooth where the first paragraph details that a Luckenooth was the name given to the type of 'locked booth' merchants stall that was in a row of shops located near St. Giles Kirk in Edinburgh during the 15th century to the turn of the 19th century. It was from these booths this heart design which was made mostly in silver were sold by silver and goldsmiths as trinkets. There are various meanings by the giver as well as signifagance to the wearer of these Lookenbooths from Scottish traditions that was carried over to other countries and cultures through the centuries. The tradition of being gifted one varies but the most popular was as a love token with the heart for love and the crown for loyalty, a symbol of betrothal and worn as a wedding brooch. In another tradition the heart had more of an amulet meaning and was known as a 'witches heart brooch'. The wearing of the heart by children or a new mother was regarded as a lucky charm giving protection and luck. On infants it was pinned to their shawl to protect them from harm and ward off evil spirits. 

Measurements: The pendant measures 26.9mm by 20.60mm. The 1.6mm cable link chain measures 18" in length.

Shipping: Ships in approx. 3 to 5 days.