sixpenceee: VICTORIAN MOURNING JEWELRY  During the Victorian era, it was common to wear &ldquo

sixpenceee:

VICTORIAN MOURNING JEWELRY 

During the Victorian era, it was common to wear “mourning jewelry”. This jewelry typically included hair from deceased loved one.

The deceased loved one’s hair would be carefully arranged within the brooch, often creating intricate pictures or designs.

Hair was considered to be an ideal keepsake, since it does not break down over time.

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Quite a few of these pieces are actually pre-Victorian.

As a general rule (which of course has exceptions) anything that has a border of seed pearls, like the third piece down, is late 18th or early 19th century.

Mourning pieces featuring pyramidal monuments or urns, like the final piece shown, were especially popular in the 1780s and 1790s.

Earlier 18th century mourning jewelry used hairwork less frequently, but is distinguishable by it’s use of black enamel.

Late 17th century mourning jewelry preserved hairwork under faceted rock crystal and almost always featured a skeleton or skull.