Page 26 - joa oct 22

At left, “Braiding Table and Position in Braiding,” from Art of Hair Work: Dressing Hair, Making Curls, Switches, Braids, and Hair Jewelry of Every Description,
At left, “Braiding Table and Position in Braiding,” from Art of Hair Work: Dressing Hair, Making Curls, Switches, Braids, and Hair Jewelry of Every Description,
by Mark Campbell, 1867. At right: Gold Victorian mourning hairpin with glassed braided human hair in ornate seed pearl frame, 18 x 24 mm. 18 x 24 mm.
by Mark Campbell, 1867. At right: Gold Victorian mourning hairpin with glassed braided human hair in ornate seed pearl frame,
uring the Middle Ages, Europeans grieved the passing of loved Gold ring featuring hairwork, natural
ones by following a variety of traditional social and religious pearls, and jet inscribed: Sarah Reeve
Drituals. Since lives then were marked by disease and high died March 12 1823 aged 81 years.
childhood mortality, scores of mourners wore death-themed memento photo: www.rubylane.com
mori “remember you must die” rings, pendants, lockets, and brooches
depicting coffins, skulls, skeletons, and coffins. Rather than celebrate Below:
Death, these were considered reminders to cherish each waking day. Glass/gold/hair mourning brooch,
mid-1800s, American,
Gift of Miriam W. Coletti, 1993.
The Popularity of Mourning Jewelry Public domain, www.metmuseum.org
Eventually, upper-class bereaved
families, swept by tradition and “Sarah Reeves died March 12,
sentimentality, offered mourners 1823, aged 81 years” in ornate
memento mori-type pieces, holding gold gothic lettering.
bits of hair of the departed, for
Extremely rare memento mori skull comfort and consolation. Since
ring, 18ct. gold/rock crystal, people believed that human hair Hair as the
3.5 gr., late 1700s. contains the essence of an individual, Essence of Life
photo: www.rubylane.com
this was neither strange nor shocking. Human hair, as a major com-
Indeed, through generations, the pious had venerated the locks of saints ponent of jewelry, appeared first
and lovers had exchanged plaited locks as personal keepsakes. in early 19th-century Sweden.
Mourning jewelry linked to specific losses became popular. Facing poverty, inhospitable weather, and a dearth of farmland for its
However, only after the controversial execution of Charles I in 1649. growing population, enterprising Swedish women devised a method of
Loyal Stuart supporters not only commissioned braiding and weaving their most abundant resource, their gloriously
rings, earrings, brooches, and lockets bearing long hair, into decorative brooches, hat pins, and crosses. Then, as a
miniatures of his image with the inscription viable cottage industry emerged, they fanned out across northern
“The glory of England has departed.” They Europe, hawking their wares.
also treasured “Stuart Crystals,” flat-topped By the early 19th century, human hair had become a highly
carved rock crystal quartz tributes featuring desirable artistic medium. Yet even modest pieces of jewelry, due
golden crowns or the King’s initials arranged to the intricacy of their designs, required great amounts.
atop locks of his hair. So, each spring, merchants fanned out to fairs and markets that
By the turn of the century, funerals had dotted Europe, enticing maidens by offering trinkets and trifles in
become increasingly extravagant. In fact, exchange for their lengthy tresses.
mourning rings, depicting coffins, funeral
urns, serpents, and seed pearl “tears” alongside The Victorian State of Mourning
engraved facts about the deceased, are post-
mortem status symbols. Samuel Pepys, an Brooch/pendant Many hair brooches, rings, and earrings were featured at England’s
English diarist and naval official, for example, depicting urn and 1853 Crystal Palace Exposition. This art form was popularized in 1861
willed that, at his death, mourning rings be weeping willow, however, after Queen Victoria, at the sudden loss of her husband Prince
presented to over a hundred relatives, servants, reverse featuring white Albert, embellished her black crepe widow’s weeds with a variety of
dependents, domestics, academics, naval officers, Prince-of-Wales appropriate somber accessories.
gentlemen, members of the clergy, and others. plume. ca. 1860. Queen Victoria also wore a specific,
What began as a simple way of memorializing photo: www.rubylane.com fine-quality jet called Whitby jet as part
a loved one had become a funereal art practiced of her mourning dress after Prince
by many. Albert’s passing. Deposits of Whitby jet
During the Georgian era, gold mourning rings, signifying the are seen as narrow planks in the cliffs
eternal nature of the soul through life and death, often replicated snakes along a 7.5-mile stretch of North
clasping their tails in their mouths. Some inscribed, urn-themed
models swiveled against their wearer’s skin to hide their personal Whitby Victorian jet chain mourning necklace
significance, while others featured bold black enamel bands, rich brocade featuring diamond shape links adorned with
detail, compartments for locks of the deceased, and inscriptions like faceted domes suspending carved dangles, 20
¾”, ca.1860, 56.7 gr. photo: www.rubylane.com
24 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles