Tag: Brooch

Mourning Fashion & Jewels During George III

This ring formed part of a suite of jewels given to Queen Charlotte by the King on their wedding day, 8 September 1761. Charlotte Papendiek records that this ring is set with the ‘likeness of the King in miniature, done exquisitely beautiful for the coin, by our valued friend Jeremiah Meyer’ and was ‘given also to her Majesty to wear on the little finger of the right hand on this auspicious day’. The Queen also received ‘a diamond hoop ring ... a pair of bracelets, consisting of six rows of picked pearls as large as a full pea; the clasps - one his picture, the other his hair and cipher, both set round with diamonds; necklace with diamond cross; earrings, and the additional ornaments of fashion of the day’.

Under the reign of George III (25th of October, 1760 – 29th of January, 1820), mourning jewellery and fashion was solidified in its use of symbols, design and construction. Massive change on a global scale created new cultural identities that formed from colonies and their independence, which required new interpretations of memorial fashion. Born in… Continue reading Mourning Fashion & Jewels During George III

A Mourning Tour: The Mourning Brooch Standard, Early-Mid 19th Century

1840s Style

Mourning jewels are easy to identify for their purpose. It is within the sentiment of a jewel that one can discover the continuity of a short period in time, simply through design and stylistic choices. Looking at several brooches with very similar styles, we can see the two unified with their construction, dedication and purpose… Continue reading A Mourning Tour: The Mourning Brooch Standard, Early-Mid 19th Century

A Mourning Tour: The Georgian “REGARD” Brooch

Acrostic sentimental stickpin with woven hair.

Jewellers and goldsmiths who had a close proximity to the crown benefitted from the attention and fame that their patronage would bring. These are the agents of change which can define the direction of fashion and art, resonating through a society and changing symbolism and identity. The late 18th century began a uniform of change… Continue reading A Mourning Tour: The Georgian “REGARD” Brooch

Butterfly Symbols and 19th Century Jewellery

“Henry James Esqr died /13th Nov 1839 in his 80th Year”

As with all symbols, there aren’t simple explanations for them when they transcend one culture or time. Organic symbols have lasted as long as cultures have written history, making them adapt. With the various classical revivals, symbols have become resurrected in Western culture time and time again to take on a homogenous understanding of what… Continue reading Butterfly Symbols and 19th Century Jewellery