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International Messages of Love

Last week was an exploration of the USA’s WWI memorial rings for the children who went to war. With western sentimental gifting, two elements to discovering the most important symbols need...

Collector’s Journey: Time for Sentimentality

Sentimentality is often seen through the eyes of the obvious; a jewel with a written message of love, the use of a floral motif or the use of a love heart. Time and time again, these messages a...

Collector's Journey: In Memory of the Victorians

  Classicism in the 19th century is just as precious to the collector of the 18th century. While the jewels that were produced were of a higher volume, their sentiment and design a...

‘IN MEMORY OF’ Pearl Gothic Revival Mourning Brooch. c.1820s.

Black enamel is the most popular mourning element for any jewel. Its color represents death, as the absence of light and the passage into darkness is literally displayed in the design of the jewel....

Beginning of the Gothic Revival

The Gothic Revival was a move away from the excesses that the late 18th century lifestyle had produced, leaning towards a value system of Medieval piety that was missing from an increasingly urbani...

The Lifespan of a Mourning Ring

Symbolism in the 18th century unified birth, marriage and death. The expectations of the British family was to be pious and fruitful, so that the Empire would continue and propagate the values of...

Georgian Mourning Band

In 1822 Alex Brymeres passed on, leaving behind this remarkable piece of living history. The mourning ring presents the ideal design system for its time, with the embellished rose and acanthus desi...

Georgian Mourning Jewels

Princess Amelia’s death in 1810 led to many mourning jewels being produced for her death, most notably those from the firm of Rundell & Bridge, the Principal Royal Goldsmiths & Jewelers sin...

Antique Jewelry: Mourning Jewelry of the Victorian Era

 The tradition of wearing mourning jewelry goes back to at least the Middle Ages, when motifs like skulls and crossbones served as a tangible reminder of death. The exhortation memento mori, which ...