Mourning Jewelry:
A Somber Remembrance

October 20, 2014

Library Exhibit Mourning Jewelry
A selection on mourning jewelry from a display at the Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library at GIA in Carlsbad. Curated by librarians Chris Rogers and Cathy Jonathan. Photo by Emily Lane/GIA
Mourning jewelry is worn to memorialize a lost loved one and is usually black or dark-colored and reflects a somber tone. Although the practice began in the Middle Ages, it is most frequently associated with the Victorian Era, when it was common to wear mourning jewelry after a death.

A display case created by GIA librarians includes three strands of mourning jewelry made out of faceted onyx beads, magnesite and bone carved into skulls, in addition to library books and an article on the subject:
 
  • “Fashionable Mourning Jewelry, Clothing & Customs” by Mary Brett
  • “Mourning Art & Jewelry” by Maureen Delorme
  • “Mourning and Memory: Queen Victoria's Jewellery in the ‘Albert Room’” by Helen Ritchie, Jewellery History Today Winter (2014)

The Richard T. Liddicoat Gemological Library in Carlsbad is home to thousands of books, journals, videos and images on gems and jewelry. GIA librarians often use those resources to create displays on a specific theme to encourage students, staff and visitors to learn more about the topic.