Eclectic antique georgian mourning pin with a blonde lock of hair. The lock of hair is incased in glass, and is bordered with a decorative floral or filigree etching. The metal is unmarked, but is believed to be enameled silver. This was most likely a memorial brooch worn as a love token from the 1800s.
Dimensions: 1 1/8 x 7/8 in.
History of mourning jewelry: For hundreds of years, people wore mourning jewelry to commemorate their loved ones. People started making memorial jewelry because there was no photography, and if your loved one died you wanted something as a touchstone to remember them every day. Men could have memorial cufflinks or pocket watch fobs with parts of the deceased person's hair braided in. As far as materials go, black enamel is the hallmark of most mourning pieces. Hair jewelry was common—especially because of the locket that Queen Victoria wore when Prince Albert passed.