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Civil War Gold Mourning Ring? | Fine Jewelry Rings95 of 197 |  |  |
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Posted 1 year ago
Jude_Hende…
(1 item)
Civil War Mourning gold mourning ring (engraved C.H. Wharton Jan 19 1862. Hair braided into the band and in its original box! It is a beautiful piece but is missing the center stone. If you know anything about this item please let me know!
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Mourning JewelryMourning jewelry has been around since at least the 16th century, but it is…
Fine Jewelry RingsNo article of fine jewelry carries as much cultural weight as the ring. For…
Victorian era Hair jewelry was not always mourning jewelry, however, as it was also crafted as love tokens from sweethearts, family members and cherished friends. Rings might be engraved with loving messages and memorials either on the face or inside the band, and might also have hidden compartments for the hair. Whether fashioned by a home crafter or professionally by a hair weaver or a jewelry maker, hair jewelry was the height of the romanticism and sentiment that characterized the Victorian era. Some pieces were done as mourning pieces or "momento mori" ("remember you must die").
While some may find this morbid, for the Victorians death was a common and accepted part of everyday life especially due to the higher infant mortality rate of the time and the devastation of the Civil War
I have had some beutifully woven brooches and it is an amazing art to weave the human hair so intricately
The stone could be replaced by a jeweler as they were often not real gem stones in these rings. Very nice piece of history ! Hope this helped a bit