I was admiring some of SJ’s gorgeous new high end fashion necklaces, and thought they reminded me of elegant, ornate Victorian jewelry. Out of curiosity, I began searching for authentic late 19th century pieces – and stumbled across some things I never expected to find!
The process of mourning in the Victorian era was taken very seriously with complex rules and various taboos when it came to honoring deceased loved ones. The heavy, dark layers of clothing and long crepe veils donned by Victorian women in mourning were referred to as “widow’s weeds.” Widows were expected to remain in mourning for at least four years, though in some cases women who never remarried chose to don widow’s weeds for the rest of her life. Different colors were worn in various stages of mourning, for instance during “full mourning” the widow would be expected to wear all black, but could begin introducing darker colors like grey or dark blue during “half mourning.”
Before paintings and photos were commonplace, a mourning friend or relative would commemorate the loss of a loved one with jewelry that was worn during mourning. In fact, mourning jewelry has been worn since the 17th century, but it was during the 19th century that new processes of mass production made it affordable and available to the masses. Most jewelry of this type came in a variety of styles for men and women, and was made of jet or black enamel. Other materials were sometime used to indicate something specific about the deceased. For instance, white enamel might indicate the person who had died was an unmarried woman – pearl indicated the loss of a child.
The majority of mourning jewelry contained the hair of the deceased, but in some cases would contain teeth, like the ring pictured above. Others would have symbolic images representing the person’s journey into the afterlife – like the example of the “lover’s eye” and cameo above. During “deep mourning” (lasting two years or more) individuals were expected to avoid social events, and the only permissible jewelry was mourning jewelry.
Though a bit morbid by 2014 standards, it’s an interesting look back at the history of jewelry, illustrating just how important and symbolic jewelry can be to the wearer.
While SJ doesn’t have anything quite as chilling as that tooth ring in our collection, you can certainly add a touch of Victorian glamour to your wardrobe with these new pieces! Check out these statement necklaces in smoky grey, crimson, and green/blue! Leave a comment below letting me know which is your favorite, and be entered to win.
63 comments