Heart Thistle Earrings

Brushed aluminum earrings measure 3/4" wide x 3/4" tall.

The prickly purple thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. There are many different tales of how the thistle became Scotland's symbol, but most point to the story of a failed attack by Vikings on a group of Scottish fighting men resting overnight in a field. As the Vikings approached the encamped Scots, they stood on a patch of thistles with their bare fee and cried out in pain.

The Scots were awakened by the racket and fought off their attackers. Since that day in 1263 the thistle has been Scotland's national emblem, and has appeared as ornamentation on Scottish military dress

A brass Revolutionary War-era garment fastener inspired the design for these earrings. The engraved thistle on the heart-shaped fastener indicates that it belonged to an officer of Briton's 21st Regiment, the Scots Fusiliers. The fastener was excavated at Fort Haldimand on Carleton Island, New York, just below the Canadian border. Built in 1779, the fort commanded passage of the St. Lawrence River and was retained by the British until its destruction by American forces in 1812.