Glass domed bridle rosettes are a decoration for a horses bridle that first became popular in the Victorian days(late 1800-early 1900). They used very colorful artwork that was also popular for scrapbook diecuts and calling cards used in that era. Over the years bridle rosettes became advertising tools also as several companies used them to advertise their company information. Very few pairs of these have survived over the years. At best you can find a single rosette that is in decent shape and a nice pair is a great find that brings top dollar.
Most rosettes are made in pairs with the second being a mirror image of the first. There is very little written about the history of bridle rosettes, this I know because I have been looking for any information about them since I started to develop this idea into a business in 2000.
My goal was to make rosettes as close to the way they had been made as possible. I only use solid metal for the backs and real glass bulls eye lenses. The image is made much like it was back then also with some minor changes to accommodate the modern equipment that I use today. This is both a curse and a blessing as I cannot do a few of the creative things that they did in the past, but I am able to do things that they could not do with their equipment.
In the past if you wanted a rosette made into a pinback, you risked damaging the rosette by cutting off the loop and soldered on a pin. I make rosettes with many different uses today. I make them into cabinet knobs, bolo ties, pinbacks, key rings, belt buckles and several different screw backed configurations for mounting on different surfaces like leather or wood.
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