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Sentimental Jewellery
Tells the history of sentimental jewellery. The book describes the origins of mourning jewellery and helps the reader to identify these appealing jewels, which can tell us much about the way in which our ancestors lived, loved and died. 40 pages; colour illustrations throughout; Card Covers. Sold and despatched by the worlds largest supplier of Metal Detecting Spin-A-Disc Metal Detectors
- GenresJewelleryNonfiction
40 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 5, 2011
This little booklet is a treasure. I only needed to crack the cover and come upon the title page, with its illustration of seven exquisite hair broaches and pendants, to fall in love.
What’s a hair broach? In the 19th century, a whole industry sprang up in order to weave human hair into jewelry. Often these pieces were created as mementoes of the dead, whose heads were shaved before the coffins closed. Sometimes the woven hair, if copious enough, was attached to a gold fitting, like a butterfly’s body. Other times, if the survivor had only rescued a single lock, it was trapped under a crystal to be preserved forever. I’ll probably never be able to afford one of these antique trinkets and so far my efforts to persuade M. Parfitt to make modern-day versions have come to naught, so I’m thrilled to be able to examine so many examples of the art within this booklet.
The book opens with a history of mourning jewelry, which gained popularity amongst royalists after the execution of King Charles I in 1649. Early pieces included memento mori rings sporting death’s-heads or elaborate gold-wire ciphers above woven hair. By the time Samuel Pepys died in 1703, he willed that 123 rings be handed out to mourners at his funeral. The 18th-century examples illustrated in this book are delicate miniature mourning scenes, complete with distraught women sobbing against the tombstones of their beloved. I fell in love with jewelry like this when I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, so I’m pleased to be able to examine them up close and at my leisure now.
The author also discusses the history of jewelry exchanged in affection. Often these are quite similar to the mourning pieces, so I was glad to have a knowledgeable expert point out the differences.
Actually, I look forward to reading this booklet again. I learned so much the first time through that I’m certain I didn’t absorb it all.
This is another review from Morbid Curiosity #7.
What’s a hair broach? In the 19th century, a whole industry sprang up in order to weave human hair into jewelry. Often these pieces were created as mementoes of the dead, whose heads were shaved before the coffins closed. Sometimes the woven hair, if copious enough, was attached to a gold fitting, like a butterfly’s body. Other times, if the survivor had only rescued a single lock, it was trapped under a crystal to be preserved forever. I’ll probably never be able to afford one of these antique trinkets and so far my efforts to persuade M. Parfitt to make modern-day versions have come to naught, so I’m thrilled to be able to examine so many examples of the art within this booklet.
The book opens with a history of mourning jewelry, which gained popularity amongst royalists after the execution of King Charles I in 1649. Early pieces included memento mori rings sporting death’s-heads or elaborate gold-wire ciphers above woven hair. By the time Samuel Pepys died in 1703, he willed that 123 rings be handed out to mourners at his funeral. The 18th-century examples illustrated in this book are delicate miniature mourning scenes, complete with distraught women sobbing against the tombstones of their beloved. I fell in love with jewelry like this when I visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, so I’m pleased to be able to examine them up close and at my leisure now.
The author also discusses the history of jewelry exchanged in affection. Often these are quite similar to the mourning pieces, so I was glad to have a knowledgeable expert point out the differences.
Actually, I look forward to reading this booklet again. I learned so much the first time through that I’m certain I didn’t absorb it all.
This is another review from Morbid Curiosity #7.
March 14, 2021
Really beautiful and a great addition to my fashion history collection, but remember: this is just an introduction to the subject and isn't incredibly in-depth, however the images used were beautiful and great examples
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews