It is easy to assume that antique jewellery that contains hair or a miniature painting, for instance, was for mourning. However, some of it was given as a romantic or sentimental gesture, say, to celebrate a betrothal or marriage, or to celebrate the birth of a child. Some were given by soldiers to parents when heading off to war and others were given to lovers and friends as tokens of affection. However, there was also a lot of jewellery associated with death and mourning, particularly during the Victorian era, given out at funerals and left to mourning relatives in a will. So how can you tell the difference?
In some instances, it is easy to distinguish between mourning and sentimental jewellery because of the inscription on the piece or the pictures or symbols on the front. For instance, the gold brooch above was created to commemorate a wedding. Inside the front of the brooch is a double knot of blonde hair with tiny seed pearls set across the end of each knot. In the centre of the knots is a small round disc, bordered with tiny pearls, with the words “to M’ (or something similar) in the middle written in blue ink. Above and below the disc are a tiny row of blue beads. Then around the top of the knot are the words ‘MARRIED 16 DECr 1792’. A beautiful sentimental piece.
The gold brooch above though is a mourning brooch. It contains brown hair arranged in diamond patterns. On top of the hair is an ivory or mother of pearl plinth and lidded urn decorated with tiny seed pearls and gold swags. It has a somber look. The back of the piece is inscribed ‘Died 25th Apr 1787, Age 68’. We don’t know who died.
If there is no inscription, how can you tell the purpose of the piece? The urn represents sorrow but which other symbols are associated with death? An anchor with a broken chain symbolises cessation of life, as does a ship sailing off into the horizon and a sheaf of wheat with one stalk bent. There are many other symbols.
However, some symbols are not so clear. In the silver pendant above, a baby is held by its mother while an angel comforts her. What it means is that the angel is waiting to shepherd the dead baby to heaven. There is a lock of hair in a compartment at the back of the pendant. This is a very moving mourning piece.
navette jewellery 
Cremation jewelry, also called memorial jewelry, funeral jewelry or remembrance jewelry is simply a way for people to hold close to a loved one. This sentime cut is the-more or less visible-condition of “hair remembrance,” which can recognized as a model for sentimental remembrance in general.
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