mixing metals

[OC Richard]

Perhaps the uniform of The Black Watch mixes metals more than any other.



The Pipe Major's buckles and plaid brooch are silver, but the sporran cantle and dirk are gilt.

The doublet has gold lace and insignia and brass buttons but silver collar badges.

The upper badge on the crossbelt is mixed silver and gilt.

The Pipe Major's pipes are silver mounted but the bagcover has gold fringe.

The Pipe Major and Drum Major wear similar sphinx bonnet badges, one gilt, one silver.

In other words, traditionally it's fine to mix metals.

[Nathan]

In other words, traditionally it's fine to mix metals.

...If you're in the military. Mixing metal colours is common throughout the Commonwealth military and goes far beyond the Highland Regiments. Not sure that this makes it a great idea with civilian attire but any such convention can be bent if you do it right.

[OC Richard]

I wouldn't hesitate to mix metals in civilian dress either. I do with my everyday things: I wear a silver Claddagh ring and gold watch on the same hand.

I used to have a brassmounted dirk that I wore from time to time, with a PC with silver buttons and silver-cantled sporran. Now I have a gilt-mounted sgian that I likewise wear with an outfit that's otherwise silver-mounted. I don't give this mixing a moment's thought until it crops up in a thread such as this.