This band of hair is a testament to the hairworking industry in America of the time. Only the gold plaque on top reflects the dedication, as the hair becomes the primary material for the ring.

Pieces like this were produced in great numbers and ranged from love tokens to memorial pieces. Often they are without any more inscription than initials in the top gold. Considered not as collectable as they were cheaper forms of the jewellery, often different weaves and sentiments make them special.

Read the below links to learn more about the function of these rings and how they compared to contemporary styles:

Further Reading:
> “My David” Victorian Hairwork Band
> Hello ‘Mother’! A Hinged Hairwork Band
> Hinged Ring and Further Examples
> Another Beautiful Late Victorian Hair Band!
> An 1876 Hair Ring
> A Late 19th Century Hairwork Ring

As seen in the ‘Discovering a 19^th Century Swivel Ring’ piece, this ring shares remarkably the same style in terms of bezel and shape, but embellishes the piece with the popular Rococo Revival patterns of the latter 19^th century.

Where this ring does become unique, however, is that it does not swivel, but opens a locket compartment on the bezel to reveal woven hairwork underneath. The locket compartment is one of the more common methods of construction found within sentimental jewelley – it was a popular element in a design, particularly when photography became small enough to fit inside such a placement. Often, these are referred to as a ‘poison’ or ‘hidden’ ring, but many people take the terms literally, we can safely assume such sentimental rings weren’t used in the poisoning of any persons!

As this ring was constructed in 1881, it conveys much of the popular, streamlined styling of the late 1870s, a time when much of the larger jewels constructed were returning to smaller and more refined design lines, focusing on the bezel as the primary area of sentiment, be it in a signet or a hairwork memento.

A true jewel of loving sentiment and a wonderful depiction of one of the more unusual constructions of the 19th century.

Year: April 7, 1881
Dedication: “My Dear Mother” Anna Schrarn

Further Reading

Discovering a 19th Century Swivel Ring

Elegant 19th Century Envelope Ring

Hinged Ring and Further Examples

Space Oddity; Understanding a Hinged / Locket Sentimental Ring with Hair

Originally, this ring had a bloodstone intaglio, which has since been replaced, but this swivel ring is a refined piece for a gentleman.

Swivel rings, or rings with a rotating bezel, are wonderful examples of how 19th century Western culture conveyed itself. This is due to the nature of the ring; a piece of jewellery that conceals a passionate sentiment for a loved one, which restricts the external love and passion and hides it internally. One one side, the hairwork can be displayed proudly; revealing the intentions of the wearer and their values, on the other side, a statement on fashion and simplicity reveals nothing more than aesthetic values.

With this particular piece, the onyx was changed out from a bloodstone intaglio with the wearer’s family crest inscribed. When one looks at a piece that doesn’t denote any outward sentiment for mourning or love, then it’s often wise to look at the style and why it would have been worn. Much of this is supposition, but a good analysis can divulge the true nature of the jewel.

Bloodstone represents courage and presence of mind (but also absence), hence when combined with the intaglio, representing the family, the ring connects itself to fortitude and fidelity to the family. The family is strong and missed when absent. Combine this with the hairwork and one can suggest that the hair is a token from the family, or at least worn to remember a specific loved one within this family unit.

Regardless, the style reflects the 1870-90 period with its bold, empire styling and lack of the excessive Rococo Revival flourishes that decorated the larger, heavier styles of the 1860s.

Further Reading

Elegant 19th Century Envelope Ring

Hinged Ring and Further Examples

Space Oddity; Understanding a Hinged / Locket Sentimental Ring with Hair

Thankfully, one of the larger (and older) fairs in the state of Victoria is still going strong! The Fryerstown Antique Fair is a wonderful event, held in the goldfields near the town of Castlemaine – about 1.5hrs out of Melbourne.

So, if you’re a local reader and have some time to spare over the weekend, please head up to Fryerstown and enjoy the day. They shut down most of this little town and set it up as a giant antique fair, with the weather so wonderful this weekend, I’m sure everyone will be out and you’ll find some magnificent treasure!

Link > Fryerstown Antique Fair at Victoria Online

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From Melbourne Australia and dating to around 1880, this ring benefited from the booming gold rush, as can be felt by its tremendous gold weight. Inscribed upon the top shield is ‘Forget Me Not’ and heavy etching curls around the shank.
Much of the jewellery featured on Art of Mourning has its origins in Britain and radiates outwards through its colonies or trade, particularly in the 19th century. Many of the styles made popular in England became popular in America, indeed, much of the jewellery was standardised through mass production and catalogues of the time.

Conflicting sentimental and memorial styles most often had their origins in the European continent, with France being the main competitor for mainstream style. The influences of French styles are mostly seen through German and Eastern European mainstream jewellery designs (though not singularly, there were independent styles relevant to a culture or society). However, with this 19th century standardisation, one must consider the fashions that were popular, the coverage of the society that perpetuates its style and how these styles were relevant to social standing and necessity.

Mourning jewellery is one of the simpler forms of jewellery to identify, due to its social requirements (three stages of mourning relate to colour, style, use of hairwork, etc) and the obviously memorial dedication in each piece. When it comes to sentimental jewels, the rules are a lot more flexible and the styles are more arbitrary. Technically, if a jewel is given as a gift, then its sentimental is intrinsic to the piece. However, the 19th century produced many styles for standardisation of jewellery symbolism to denote the purpose of a piece. Hairwork, being the most common and the outward dedication of sentimental symbolism being another. This piece, having its origins stemming from the Victorian gold rush, is a token of love with the overt ‘forget me not’ written in a shield on top. Sentimental, simple, loving and proudly worn. It shows that styles can be unique to their area, this being Australian, with its heavier weight and bolder style, but retaining the design concept of its English roots.

Inlaid with mother of pearl, this ring with the initials JB is another odd piece for a time when much of the popular jewellery was standardised in design (late 19th century). Its size and brittle nature make it unwearable, but certainly a statement of love between a couple.

Vulcanite usage in in jewellery is much more common with bracelets, necklaces and brooches – larger items that could be moulded and reproduced in a heavier style. To find a ring with such small embellishments (particularly with a material that was not so resilient when worn around the hands) goes against the form of much vulcanite jewellery. Having vulcanite inlaid, such as this ring, is much more typical of peripheral accessories of the latter 19th century, as it can be found in pipes, compacts and hair accessories. Bracelets and lockets did mimic this style, but the larger cameo embellishments were much more popular.

With its subtle usage of symbolism, the ring suggests that it was a custom piece, with the inlay dedicated to an individual and working well within the context of the heart symbolism. Also of note is that the ring is not something adjustable, as a metal would be, but fixed to its size. The heart symbolism suggests a love token of sentimentality at a time when vulcanite and mother of pearl were fashionable.

A History of Jet
> Bakelite
> Vulcanite
> Bog Oak
> French Jet and Vauxhall Glass
> Symbolism Sunday, The Angel