Mourning jewellery design is separated by religious piety and values. Since the Protestant Reformation in 1517, the split between the Catholic and Protestant interpretations of death were distinguished by the values of ‘memento mori’ (‘remember you will die’). Showing the desecration of the body and the constant design reminder in jewellery and art that death… Continue reading French Neoclassical Male Mourning Ring
Tag: Sepia
Neoclassical Mourning Locket & Royalty, 1821
Having privilege in wealth is not required for mourning jewels, but it certainly helps. The range of quality in bespoke jewels is only limited by resource accessibility and wealth. For royalty, the quality tends to be of the highest level and these are the best jewels to identify for their specific time and age. This… Continue reading Neoclassical Mourning Locket & Royalty, 1821
The Chatelaine, Function and Sentimentality
Tokens of affection aren’t simply baubles that are transient, they are often useful accessories that hold a memory within their daily function. By the 18th century, there was enough development of production and industry to facilitate a working class and their objects of daily use. In this cut-steel and sepia chatelaine, the elements of love and… Continue reading The Chatelaine, Function and Sentimentality
Death at Sea: Mourning Jewellery and Nationalism
Being lost at sea strikes an image of loss and departure that evokes the very essence of sadness. In the very literal sense, there is the loss of the body that prevents the kind of closure that physical remains offer. Yet, in terms of symbolism, the loss of the soul is the same as that of the body,… Continue reading Death at Sea: Mourning Jewellery and Nationalism