Glass Rosepins

Phanae had a sour look. "I used to like this place until that journal talked it up, and now it's absolutely packed." She picked at her dessert cake with a fork and sighed. "The atmosphere is gone!"
Alistair gave her a look. "You saw the crowd on the way in. We could have gone somewhere else."
"Yeah but they still bake the best cake in the Capital." Phanae took a bite and chewed slowly. "It's just, look around. All of these damned new couples, all with that stupid hair ornament." She jabbed her fork into the cake more forcefully. "It's just gross, right?"
"Gross is you eating with your mouth open. Why do you care what ornaments people wear?" Alistair glanced around. She wasn't wrong; there were plenty of couples here, and most of the women had the telltale sign of being affianced, a glass rose pinning hair into a bun or ponytail. He suddenly grinned. "Don't tell me you're feeling left out."
Phanae raised her fork to his face. "Don't even joke about that, I get that enough from my parents."

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Other than the rose sculpt and the glass fragility, it remains a simple hairstick. The name of 'pin' is a misnomer; women wrap or tie their hair around it instead of using it to pin their hair. Typically, engaged women will wear the pin day and night, only removing it to bathe, until the day of the wedding itself, after which the pin is usually placed in a vase somewhere prominent in the home. Breaking the pin is seen to be a bad omen for the match.

Manufacturing process

Rosepins are manufactured through ordinary glassblowing. Artisans of significant skill can create more elaborate rosepins that command a premium.

Significance

Glass Rosepins are 'traditionally' offered from grooms to their prospective brides as a marriage proposal. The 'tradition' is actually somewhat recent, however. Nairie Solitus was given one by the First Princeps as a betrothal token, and once she was seen wearing it in public the trend spread like wildfire among the nobility, then trickling down to the general population. High demand for Rosepins in the First Season generate plenty of business for the Glassblower's Consortium.

Item type

Jewelry / Valuable

Rarity

Common

Weight

4oz

Dimensions

4-6 inches

Base Price

100-150F depending on quality

Raw materials & Components

Glass and coloring