Antique Ruby Pearl Diamond Luckenbooth Double Heart Brooch

Antique Ruby Pearl Diamond Luckenbooth Double Heart Brooch

An early 20th century Luckenbooth double witch's heart brooch. One heart is set with Burma rubies and the other set with old-cut diamonds, in grain settings, surmounted with a coronet set with three natural seed pearls above a row of old-cut diamonds, in grain settings. Accented with a knife edge circular surround set with alternating claw-set rubies and old-cut diamonds. Mounted in 14ct gold, with the grain set diamonds in silver-upon-gold. American, Circa 1910.

Luckenbooth brooches are traditional Scottish love tokens. They are usually a heart shaped brooch, often with a crown or coronet or two intertwined hearts, with similar motifs to the Irish Claddagh ring.

The brooches were often given as a betrothal or wedding gift. It was also known as a witch-brooch to protect children from evil.

By the mid-18th century, Luckenbooth tokens featured heavily as trade items to Native Americans and became a common decorative symbol on their clothing. The motif was therefore adopted by jewellers in the USA.