Victorian society had very strict guidelines concerning mourning. The length of the mourning period and the attire worn varied depending on an individual’s relationship to the deceased. One particular rule that was constant was that sparkling gemstone jewelry was forbidden for both women and men. Diamonds were out, and a person in mourning would wear more sedate gems of jet, onyx, black enamel or mother-of-pearl.
Mourning or memorial jewelry took many forms. Very often memorial pieces were created especially to remember the person who had passed away. Rings and brooches with insets of the deceased’s hair behind crystal were engraved with the name of the lost loved one as well as the birth and death dates. Some pieces of jewelry featured the letters “I.M.O.” to represent “In memory of” while others would feature the initials of or a portrait of the deceased.
This memorial stickpin from the mid-Victorian era features a gold hand from which a mother-of-pearl shield dangles. These would have been available for purchase at a jewelers shop wherein the initial of the deceased was affixed—upon order—in gold. In this case, the deceased’s name started with “F.” A gold letter was applied to the shield.
Though somewhat spooky and grim, this stickpin is a sweet reminder of someone’s grief. It’s in astoundingly good condition owing to the fact that the pin was only worn during the period of mourning, and, then, preserved.
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