The History of Sentimental Jewelry

"Sentimental" jewelry has long been worn to express a particular emotion or relationship: affection for a friend or family member, passion for a lover or spouse, loyalty to a monarch, devotion to a religion, grief for the death of a loved one. It can be a ring, brooch, pendant, or any other type of jewelry, and is often composed of or decorated with symbols and devices whose meaning was very clear to our ancestors, even if not always clear to us.

Charms and amulets have been used for centuries to protect the wearer against various ills and evils. In the middle ages there was the belief that certain stones had magical powers. Holy relics were set in jewels to protect the wearer. In the 16th century, memento mori (“remember that you must die”) jewelry became popular, decorated with skeletons, crossbones, coffins, and skulls. By the 17th century, these same symbols were beginning to be used for jewelry no longer meant to warn of mortality but to commemorate the death of specific persons.

The rapid growth of mourning jewelry at this time is attributed to the execution of Charles I in 1649. His followers wore his miniature portrait set in rings and lockets, sometimes worn secretly, and locks of his hair were much treasured. The use of hair in sentimental jewelry is ubiquitous. Because hair survives time and decay, it has long been incorporated into tokens of affection as a sign that love outlasts death. In memorial pieces, bits of hair serve as a sort of shrine to the deceased. In the 16th and 17th centuries, locks of hair were enclosed in all sorts of precious and elaborate lockets, often hidden from view.

In the 18th century, the lock of hair became a primary, and very visible, element of sentimental jewelry and was curled, plaited, and woven in decorative motifs, and sometimes was woven and knotted into bracelets, fob chains, and earrings. (The latter type became even more popular during the Victorian era.) Hair was also chopped up, macerated, or dissolved and used to paint miniature scenes of love and loss.

A popular Stuart jewel made to honor Charles I was the simple crystal heart-shaped locket. The style continued into the next two centuries as a more general token of affection. The locket almost always contained a lock of hair of a loved one. If worn empty, the clear, transparent heart signified truth or purity. The 18th century locket is a typical example of the rock crystal heart. This heart is shown crowned, which signifies loyalty.

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