"I rest"

Here is your mourning jewelry fix for the week. This is a ca. 1700 mourning slide. The wearer would have thread a ribbon through the loops on the back and worn this as a bracelet or collar necklace. The materials here are hair, gold foil and enamel, all fitted under rock crystal. The skeleton, presumably of the deceased, is lounging on his/her coffin, which is engraved with the words "I rest." The imagery is stark, but the little angels soften it somehow. I appreciate how realistically the Victorians portrayed death with images. I mean, can you imagine going to a funeral now and seeing a skeleton image on the program? People would think it was in such bad taste. I actually find this piece - skeleton and all - very tender and comforting. What do you think?

Coffin locket

 
This is a Victorian coffin locket. That fact that I can use the words "coffin" and "locket" together in the same sentence makes me deliriously happy. What a brilliant way to use a funerary motif in mourning jewelry! The little compartment here would have been perfect for a lock of hair. I don't have a will yet (I probably should) but when I write it, I might request that a bit of money be used to make mourning jewelry for my close friends and family. A little engraved locket like this would be so lovely, I think.

Image courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum