Object Description
Antique diamond and pearl ‘urn’ memorial ring. Set with ten round rose cut diamonds in silver cutdown settings with an approximate combined weight of 0.10 carats, decorating an intricate woven hair design forming an urn motif with white enamel background, surrounded by a single row of twenty seven natural seed pearls in grain settings, flanked by trumpeted shoulders with black enamel motifs flowing down to a flat shank decorated with black enamel work, reading ‘JANE.SAUNDERS.OB:26.JULY.1780:AE:27′. Tested yellow gold, circa 1780.
Mourning jewellery is rich in symbolism. The twenty seven pearls surrounding the urn each represent one year of Jane Saunders’ life and in the context of memorial jewellery, pearls represent tears. The black enamel work on the shank lets us know that this person would have been married, whilst white enamel was usually used for children and unmarried adults.