Mixing Metals

[OC Richard]

I usually look to the traditions in the Scottish Highland regiments as a guide or as a "reality check" and in those the mixing of metals is nearly universal.

For example let's take the uniform of the Pipe Major of the Black Watch.

The crossbelt and waistbelt hardware are silver, the braid on the doublet, the cantle of the sporran, the sgian dubh, and the dirk are all gold/gilt.

The only Pipe Major's uniform to have all the metallic elements in one matching colour is that of the Scots Guards where everything is silver (though the dirk has brass regimental badges upon the silver hardware).

The other regiments are in between these extremes, with all or most of the actual metal things being silver, but the braid on the doublet being gold.