<lapel-pins-tie-tacks>My lapel pin / tie tack section has grown by leaps and bounds. I started designing them a couple of years ago as an inexpensive alternative to some of my other jewelry. I never dreamed my lapel pins would become so popular! But it’s a good kind of dream.

I think most of my customers wear them on their lab coats or jackets but they work for hats and for ties as well. Our lapel pins (or tie tacks depending on your use of them) all operate the same way. You will find a short “nail” or “spike” that has been soldered onto the back of the jewelry piece. Just gently push this point through the sweater, hat , lapel, or tie, press the accompanying nylon back onto the nail and enjoy wearing your new jewelry piece.

I’ve tried to cover a lot of popular animal designs, so you’ll find a number of popular dog breeds, some cats, some exotics like parrots and iguanas, and even a monkey! There are bound to be more coming at some time, and as soon as the inspiration strikes me, watch out! Sometimes I think my casters handle a new box of Magic Zoo original models gingerly, making bets how many they have to create molds for this time.

So I’ll certainly be adding additional designs as time goes by, so if you haven’t found any of your favorite tie tacks (keep in mind I’m using the terms tie tack and lapel pin interchangeably) check back later and it just might become part of my lapel pin collection.</lapel-pins-tie-tacks>

<sterling-silver-jewelry-lapel-pins-tie-tacks>Originally I had decided to create sterling silver tie tacks as part of my silver collection of jewelry so my gentlemen customers could also wear Magic Zoo designs. I’ll be expanding on my tie tack and lapel pin line as time goes on, so they’ll be more to choose from than the veterinary profession silver tie tacks.

I suppose tie tacks may not be as popular today as they were in the days when ties were a requisite part of every man’s attire. I still find ties rather handsome on a man, although my husband tells me they are not particularly comfortable! (Why should men be the only sex who gets away with wearing nothing that’s uncomfortable?) But I suppose if you have to wear one anyway, you may as well have some fun and wear a nice .925 silver tie tack with it!

These tie tacks can also be worn as lapel pins, of course. Some women DVMs seem to prefer a veterinary caduceus lapel pin over a vet caduceus pendant, so it is really a bit of a unisex item. They look very nice on a jacket. They seem to work both a bit dressy and as just a more casual identification of your profession.

All my sterling silver tie tacks come with a nice tie tack back in stainless steel to keep it securely attached to your tie, collar or wherever you like to place it.</sterling-silver-jewelry-lapel-pins-tie-tacks><gold-jewelry-lapel-pins-tie-tacks>I am definitely planning on expanding the number of gold tie tacks I create, far beyond the current two that I especially designed for the veterinary professional.

This is really a good looking tie tack that can also be used as a lapel pin. I’ll bet I sell an equal number of these 14k tie tacks to women who use them as a lapel pin. It has a unique representation of the veterinary caduceus symbol and I think would be a wonderful gift for the male vet on your gift list or for a female vet that prefers it over the more traditional gold caduceus pendant and chain. They can be worn on tie, jackets, sweaters and even on a hat in just the right spot.

It must be wonderful to be in a profession with such a recognizable symbol to represent it. I’ve heard several stories of the origin of the design, but since I can’t vouch for the validity of them, I think it best I don’t give my own, possibly skewed version!

It’s anyone’s guess how many men still wear ties, but if you have to anyway it would make sense to dress it up with a really unique tie tack. I have this same design available in sterling silver- but I think the gold lapel pin or tie tack is especially beautiful.
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<pewter-jewelry-lapel-pins-tie-tacks>My pewter lapel pins (sometimes known as tie tacks) were real “sleepers.” By this I mean they were designs that I came up with a while back that I created just for fun and had no idea how they’d be received by my customers. Much to my delighted surprise, they were an especially popular item at the veterinary conventions where I often exhibit my work. It seems they made an especially popular yet inexpensive gift to give the staff manning the clinic back home! I think they have a nice appeal and often wear one (especially the bunny, which I love) on a collar.

I like my current collection of lapel pins a lot. Of course I’ll be adding to them in the future. How about collecting them all? That reminded me of the commercials in the 50s; “Buy (some kind of cereal) and collect all the super decoder spy rings!”

One thing I should mention here about these lead free pewter lapel pins is that these should not be given to children. Not only do they have a sharp spike on the back, but even the lead free pewter contains some tiny traces of lead which can be dangerous if ingested. Children could do this either by putting the jewelry in their mouth and sucking on it or possibly by just playing with the pewter and then putting their fingers in their mouths. This is probably a good idea to follow with all types of pewter jewelry. 

These pewter lapel pins/tie tacks are fun, detailed and inexpensive enough that you can have quite a few of them to dress up your scrubs or lab jacket. I should also mention that most of these same designs are available on a name badge. You can check them out in my name badge section.</pewter-jewelry-lapel-pins-tie-tacks>