Quote Originally Posted by ardchoille View Post
My opinion? The thistle looks good, I think it should remain. However, those metal studs around the thistle should go.. they make the whole thing look gawdy.
A little off topic, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoy seeing that not only do people on this forum offer really good constructive criticism, but that people TAKE it just as well.

On the woodworking forum I frequent quite a bit (Lumberjocks.com), you'd be hard pressed to find anyone saying anything about a project that wasn't all smiles and praise. Xmarksthescot is a breath of fresh air in that regards.

My suggestion - find something of a better quality than the thin-metal thistle, and it won't matter if the studs are there or not. If it were me, I'd look for something sterling silver - but then I'm a big fan of SS...

I would also suggest to you that you will KNOW when you find the right piece, so don't just attach the first thing you come across that fits your general dimensions. Hold out until something you find really jumps out at you as being special.