vtg Scottish Grouse Claw Brooch Silver tone & Citrine Glass Stone Cabachon

Grouse Foot Brooch Silver with Citrine Scottish Thistle
These grouse claw brooches come from Scottish tradition during the Victorian era. Scottish men would pin them on their kilts for good luck, particularly wearing them on hunting trips. The feet are often adorned with rings, gemstones or colored glass, and some have additional embellishments, Grouse claws were also distributed as Mizpah brooches (these ones typically have an engraving of two hearts with an arrow through them on the back along with the word). “Mizpah is a Biblical term roughly meaning “God watch over us while were apart. The jewelry was given as a sign of love and remembrance during long separations. What could be more romantic than receiving a taxidermied bird foot upon your lovers departure? An unreliable source says that the Grouse-foot kilt pin was a sign of defiance since hunting on the Lairds land was an offense with heavy punishments, and that the “ring on the middle “finger of the foot was the origins of “flipping the bird. Wellits a good story anyway!! Elaborate examples include sterling silver mounts. These brooches are sometimes referred to as Ptarmigan Plaid Pins after the Ptarmigan Bird.