020. Mourning Jewelry

Tea & Gemstones

It is not a foreign concept to wear a piece of jewelry to imbue you with comfort, strength and connection to a memory. But for about four decades in the late 1800s, the absolute dominant style of jewelry was 'mourning jewelry.' I trace through the origins of ‘memento mori’ (a Latin phrase translating to ‘remember you must die') jewelry- from the Georgian motifs of gravediggers, skulls and coffins, to the soft sadness of the Victorian seed pearls, willows and urns... but in either time period human hair is involved. We talk all manner of dark gemstones (jet! bogwood! onyx!) And debate the acceptability of leaving mourning ring stipends in your last Will & Testament. It's the perfect mix of creepy and sentimental: it's mourning jewelry.
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Bibliography
https://jennifersieverling.wixsite.com/teaandgemstones
Narration - Jennifer Sieverling
Research & Writing - Jennifer Sieverling
Music - Joseph McDade & Audionautix
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