talkingfashion » vintage accessories
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Mourning Jewelry: Momento Mori’s Through Time by Paige McKirahan
Though the concept of mourning jewelry has been around since the early 1600s, it did not truly come into its own as a common practice until the Victorian Era starting in 1937. Prior to this period, mourning jewelry commonly featured skulls and other grave related imagines. It seemed to more so focus on the fact that death was inevitable, rather than the memory of a lost loved one. When the Georgian era ended and this new era began, the pieces began to become less macabre and instead took on softer appearance.
Mourning ring from 1727 featuring a multiple skulls and a coffin shaped gem
Queen Victoria, who currently still holds the crown for longest reigning monarch in history, was in power from 1837 to 1901. When her husband, Prince Albert, passed away in 1861, the Queen was beside herself with grief. This grief materialized in the form of mourning jewelry and black clothing on the Queen and members of her court for decades. After this display by Victoria, the public took note and began to really immerse themselves in the idea of creating sentimental pieces to honor their loved ones.
During the Victorian Era, the social customs were very strict and varied according to status and wealth. For women, they were very detailed; they exclusively wore black for a specific duration of time and were restricted on what other daily tasks they could participate in until the mourning period was complete. The use of these practices was considered to be a display of your feelings about the passing of a loved one and allowed those to express their grief outwardly.
The materials used to make these mourning pieces varied; jet, which is a fossilized coal that is black and shiny in appearance, was widely used but it was interchangeable with the cheaper vulcanite, gutta percha, onyx, black enamel, pearls, and bog oak. Black was a prominent color in mourning jewelry, but it is important to know that different colors could be incorporated to signify different stages of grief. In the final stages of mourning, darker colors like blue, purple and grey slowly crept back into the wardrobe.
Though the use of skulls, burial items, and morbid symbols came out of practice, they opened the door for more subtle depictions of the dead. The Victorian period brought in the use of clouds, weeping willows, angels, and women lamenting at tombs. They also would feature the initials or the name of the deceased along with their age or date of death.
Weeping willow mourning piece
In addition to those symbols, another extremely common component of mourning jewelry was hair; those in mourning would cut locks of the deceased’s hair and incorporate them into the pieces! They were primarily put directly into the jewelry, but the locks also frequently found themselves in lockets. When photography stepped out onto the scene, the hair was accompanied by photos of the deceased as an added memorial.
Mourning ring with locks of human hair
Though we do not regularly practice these customs today, history lovers and jewelry collectors alike are fascinated by these gaudy pieces honoring those of the past. Today, they can sell for thousands of dollars depending on era and style. If you are one looking to acquire some of these extremely unique pieces, head to your local antique show or log onto Ebay and start bidding!
Written by Paige McKirahan
Images credit to io9.gizmodo.com
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How are you styling your head scarf?
How are you styling your head scarf? A jaunty bow on the side? The classic bow at the nape of your neck? A sassy bow in the center that screams “smile.”
Oblong scarfs lend themselves to dramatic looks. They can wrap around twice and leave plenty of length for a stylish double knot. Not quite enough length for a full bow? Try a half bow.
Color is the winner. Use colors that accent your eyes or that make your complexion glow. You get a hint of color without makeup. The right color can make the highlights in your hair sparkle.
Style on.
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The Evolution of the Scarf
A Long History
Have you ever thought about the history of a fashion product? As in, the evolution of it and how it transitioned to the way it is styled today? Typically, trends come and go. But the scarf trend has not gone away and has been around since B.C. times. That goes all the way back to queen Nefertiti wearing a finely woven scarf topped by a conical headdress in 1350 B.C.! People used fashion as a way to show their class during those times.
More Than Just a Cloth
Scarves were not always worn as a fashion statement. Emperor Nero was rarely seen in public without his around his neck in 60 A.D. It was called his sudarium (or sweat cloth). This was practical and it showed his class, being multi-functional. There was some evolution going on with the scarf due to this. The scarf is now being seen as multi-functional.
Scarf Evolution
Skipping forward many years later, people begin making and selling their own scarves. With more people populating the planet, that equates to businesses beginning. As we continue to include the scarf in fashion businesses in time, the scarf evolves a bit. It became a product people usually only wore in the winter to keep warm. Years pass, then it became something you can wear for anything, such as a headdress, headband, belt, bracelet, even a top, and so on.
A Multi-Functional Fashion Product
The scarf quickly became an even larger trend everybody wanted in on. Fashion retailers everywhere started buying and selling more scarves. The best part about scarves is that they are multi-functional in fashion and multi-functional for functional purposes. Today, you can find them all year around for this exact reason.
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Are you a bangle collector?
A popular fashion accessory from the 1920s to the early 1940s, bangles are often made from unusual materials and have interesting features. They gained popularity again in the 70s & 80s.
There are all kinds of bangles. Plastic bangles. Wooden bangles. Bamboo bangles. Metal bangles. Fabric bangles. Crystal bangles. Rhinestone bangles. The list goes on. What is your favorite material?
Stylish Bakelite bangles are highly sought-after _ particularly when hand carved or decorated with polka dots or zigzags_ as are early Lucite bangles in desirable period colors.
We collect and love bangles of all styles, sizes, colors, materials. They are an easy jewelry piece to wear and instantly upgrade your look.
Solo or stacked up, have fun wearing them!
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She follows the stars!
She is our muse!
She wears what she loves, everyday!
