Memorial Jewellery

Memorial Jewellery is jewellery created to commemorate a person, relationship or significant event. It can incorporate personal elements such as initials, inscriptions, portraits, hair or other mementoes, allowing the wearer to preserve a connection with someone or something remembered.

Memorial jewellery became particularly significant during the Georgian and Victorian periods. Following a death, jewellery could be commissioned or exchanged as a lasting reminder of the deceased. Rings, brooches, pendants, lockets and bracelets were among the forms commonly used.

Hair was sometimes incorporated into memorial jewellery because it provided a tangible connection to the individual being remembered. Miniature portraits, inscriptions and dates could also be included, while black enamel, jet, onyx, pearls and other materials associated with mourning were sometimes used.

Memorial jewellery overlaps with mourning jewellery, although the terms are not identical. Mourning jewellery specifically relates to mourning after a death, whereas memorial jewellery has a broader meaning and can commemorate people, relationships or events without necessarily following a formal mourning tradition.

At Weldons, memorial jewellery is valued not only for its craftsmanship and materials but also for the personal history and symbolism preserved within each piece.

Periods: Particularly Georgian and Victorian
Typical forms: Rings, brooches, lockets, pendants and bracelets
Typical features: Hairwork, initials, inscriptions, portraits, dates and commemorative symbolism