Mourning Jewerly

What would be the best way of knowing the past if not being a living witness of it? Materials that go beyond time and space, inspirations that continuously inspire, or stories that persist through generation, they are all living witnesses. Contrary to common knowledge, the art of jewelry is more than a piece of ornamentation, but embedded with meaning that lasts generations. For a long time jewelry has been used as means to mourn someone’s life. In this aspect, it affected society and time, and it introduced unusual material intended not for esthetics, but for purpose of demonstrating respect and affection to the deceased. From that, it persists in modern days as a style, or as mementos of life.

Roman Period

Common during the Roman period, cameos were often propagandistic portraits of emperors intended to immortalize the ruler’s image after their death.

15th-16th Century

Memento mori inspired the early mourning jewelry. It was an artistic thought that emphasized the human mortality. The subject matters were often human’s skulls or images of humans in imminent death. It was constant reminder of the ephemeral life. The use of theses motifs are the first signs of mourning in jewelry.

Late 18th - Early 19th Century

In many cultures, the hair is an intimate part of the deceased and kept as a way of connecting the living and the lost members. During the civil war, young soldiers would leave a lock of hair with their family. Upon to their death, the hair would be integrated as ornamentations in a piece of jewelry or placed in a pendant.

Early 19th Century

Jet has been commonly used in mourning jewelry for centuries. It reached its peak after Prince Albert‘s death when Queen Victoria made it a decreed that only jet jewelry should be used in the first year of mourning. Today, jet become rarity since it has been overused and illegal to mine.

21th Century
By literally using the ashes and transforming it into a piece of jewelry, today’s mourning jewelry is not merely a figurative piece of the deceased. The diamond are made with the carbonized remains of humans and transformed in precious pieces of jewelry.