Tag: Skull

Bones and Rings

Connecting the body to death and the physical elements of the body that are relevant to display within the context of death are very specific to the Protestant and Catholic schism. Since Martin Luther proposed a discussion in his Ninety-Five Thesis, or the “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” on… Continue reading Bones and Rings

The Importance of Memento Mori & Jewellery

Memento mori, or ‘remember you will die’ is an important personal value to identity in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. As the mourning industry grew into a sustainable industry in its own right, the message only grew as it was imprinted upon fashionable accessories and artefacts that people wore. The skull and the crossbones… Continue reading The Importance of Memento Mori & Jewellery

Skeletal Memento Mori Ring

Mourning-ring; enamelled gold, the hoop enamelled white, in the form of two skeletons supporting a coffin-shaped bezel with moveable lid fastened with a pin and ornamented with a Maltese cross once enamelled red, on a black ground with hearts reserved in the metal, an enamelled cinquefoil at one end. Inside the coffin is a tiny white-enamelled skeleton. At the back of the bezel ares two clasped hands.

Mourning jewellery and devotional jewellery represent the same ideals. Piety and love come from an undying fidelity that allows a person who want to show off their devotion. Based on personal belief, the message of love as an actual value can equate to the expense, opulence and design of a jewel. While love is not… Continue reading Skeletal Memento Mori Ring

The Earliest Mourning Ring

Silver gilt ring, the applied bezel with a heart between two death's heads. The hoop engraved with a worm and inscribed in black letter + iohes godefroy

Discovering a beginning is the true way to understand the very essence of a concept. Mourning, at its core, is about remembrance and love; the internal longing of loss that holds in the mind and the body. All creatures feel some element of this, returning to a spot to relive a moment or respond to stimuli… Continue reading The Earliest Mourning Ring