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.