Featured Scottish Silver Pin - Highland Home Industries - Maker?

Hello Board Friends - I have a silver pin and could use some help identifying the maker. It is marked JF and also has the thistle and the three towers. It also has as the third part of the hallmark but I can't quite make it out. Perhaps a D or an O. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Don

 

Have you seen this? https://www.harropianbooks.com/page...ies-ltd-scottish-handcrafters-trade-catalogue A catalog circa 1936; mentions "Iona Celtic Art Jewellery" and
says ""Highland Home Industries Ltd. is established entirely in the interests of the home workers in the Highlands and islands of Scotland, enabling them to find a profitable market for their products. The company, not being run for profit ..." had as its "Patroness : H.R.H. The Duchess of York."

and here is a more complete history of the company: https://antidotecounteragent.wordpress.com/2018/12/03/highland-home-industries-a-first-hand-account/

But you may know all that already; and I don't see a mention of the initials JF.

 

Hand pierced and chased,the saw piercing is a little ragged but a nice piece.

 

There also is a current company with that name, since 1976; but I suspect they may produce only textiles.:
https://www.companieslist.co.uk/SC059231-highland-home-industries-limited

The name is registered to Waverly Mills, but is listed as a "dormant company." In short, I haven't been able to find anything particularly relevant to the initials JF on your pin. Maybe others will have something, though.

 

That poor thing need to meet up with some silver polish!

 

I appreciate all your responses. I was confused by the two different iterations of Highland Home Industries. I saw the new textiles and couldn't figure out how they related.

It's possible my JF was one of the "home crafters" who has yet to be documented. Interesting history I couldn't find on my own.

It's possible the pin hasn't been polished since the 1930's! Thank you very much.
Don

 

It has the old style hinge; I'd suspect shed work too, or somebody using up the bits Grandpa left behind.

 

I'm with INH John Fraser Silvercraft
https://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/Makers/Edinburgh-J.html#JF

maybe you can figure out the date using this link
https://www.silvermakersmarks.co.uk/Dates/Edinburgh.html

 

Don - a decent shot of the marks would probably give you the dating... From what I can see, that is the mark of John Fraser aka John Fraser Silvercraft of Inverness, could date from the '30s-40s into the '90s: http://www.silvercollection.it/scottishsilversmithsinverness.html

Here is a Fraser piece from 1972: https://picclick.co.uk/Vintage-Soli...kenbooth-Brooch-John-Fraser-163552680211.html

Used to be up on Iona silver since I've had quite a few pieces over the yeqrs and still have a few Iona-style Viking ship spoons in my collection, but the memory just isn't what it used to be. Not sure you can assume that is the original box for the brooch, and can't seem to find a connection between John Fraser and HHI or Celtic Art silver - here is a page that shows their marks (there are also pages on the site with other marks), and also shows a box similar to yours: http://www.alexander-ritchie.co.uk/marks.htm

~Cheryl

 

The box is at least 1950s into 60s from the outside. (Dad had a packaging company!) Can you get me a photo of its innards?

 

Thank you! I think we have a winner on John Fraser. I will give the piece a once over cleaning at least and see if I can read that last character a little better. I came across Iona in my own research before posting but again couldn't quite make the connection. I'm tempted to think the box is original as we just don't come across much Scottish silver here in Central Indiana and to find a Scottish pin in a Scottish box may be too much of a coincidence.

I've added a shot of the box innards below, Owned. I apologize for the shadow. We have had almost no sunshine for weeks here so I've got very little natural light.

I need to give another thanks to everyone. I'm out of my area on this one but I swear I tried to research this pin myself but didn't find near the resources you folks did.

 

Thank you - I'd say a 1950s ish box. That's real cotton wool as well, rather than the later synthetics.