Mourning jewelry
from the Antique Jewelry University
Mourning jewelry is jewelry worn when the wearer is in mourning. During the 16th through 18th century memento mori jewelry was used for this and it became very popular after the death of Prince Albert. Queen Victoria remained in mourning until her passing in 1901, causing a revival of this type of jewelry. During the latter half of the 19th century they were of sombre design and black is the main used color. Materials used are typically black enamel, jet, onyx, glass, vulcanite and gutta-percha.