Mourning Jewelry

I stumbled upon this artist Gisele Ganne and her interpretation of Victorian mourning jewelry and I found it so fascinating.


An article written in Antique Week describes it as so...

"Mourning jewelry mirrored the lives and times of the people who wore it. It
was a souvenir to remember a loved one, a reminder to the living of the
inevitability of death, and a status symbol, especially during the Victorian
era.
The earliest examples of mourning jewelry were found in Europe in the 15th
and 16th centuries. Black and white enameled heads or skulls were often set
into rings and brooches. In the 17th and 18th centuries it was a status
symbol to present mourning rings to friends and families of the bereaved."

by Susan and Jim Harran

Another artist who also does inspired mourning jewelry is Julia deVille.



Truly beautiful and intricate. I love the detail and darkness of it all.