Update Our ticketing, donations, and membership sales portal is down for scheduled maintenance on the afternoon of 4/11.
This mourning ring consists of a rectangular gold reserve that contains a gold filigree initial "P" atop a lock of braided hair surrounded by freshwater pearls. The bezel is set horizontally. The cast shank is embellished with abstract geometric patterns on each shoulder.
mourning rings
rings (jewelry)
gold (metal)
human hair
pearl (animal material)
Ring
Filigree and hair ornaments placed under crystal were first made in the sixteenth century and continued to be made well into the nineteenth in England and America. Pearls were said to represent symbolic tears shed at the death of a loved one and are common on hair rings and brooches. The shaped, thick bezel backing of this ring, the horizontal rather than vertical orientation for the bezel, and the single shank with geometric patterns all point to a possible 1870-85 re-use of an earlier nineteenth century ring or brooch. Delicate gold initials set atop hair were a specialty of the Merrimack Valley area, but that regional attribution is speculative.
459.1
842
Unknown
United States
13/16 x 5/8 x 1/2 (HxWxD) (inches)
Gift of Page S. Guertin
2012.51.1
Historic New England is committed to implementing reparative language description for existing collections and creating respectful and inclusive language description for new collections. If you encounter language in Historic England's Collections Access Portal that is harmful or offensive, or you find materials that would benefit from a content warning, please contact [email protected].
Sign up to our newsletter for our latest news and events
