Three mourning rings

Eighteenth century

Gold and crystal

Private collection

Photographs and caption material by the owner. Thanks to Anna Waymack who arranged for the owner to share this image and associated text with readers of the Victorian Web.

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Whereas those of relatively modest means purchased plain bands, wealthier mourners chose these high style Rococo band with a gem set in the center. �Both styles carry the deceased details on the outer surface. Perhaps surprisingly, these bands could be made quite quickly, and one encounters advertisements for makers of such rings with wording such as "on short notice". �The plain ones mainly date from the mid to the end of the eighteenth century Rococo ones are usually from the 1st half of the eighteenth century.

Last modified 11 February 2005