1833 ‘In Memory Of’ Georgian Mourning Band

An unusually stunning late Georgian mourning band, of a super wide form, comprising of seven distinct elements in stacked arrangement: four bands of white enamel inlay, two bands of heavily chased floral scrolls, and a center band with openworked gothic script relief-applied against a diaper ground, spelling “IN MEMORY OF”. The interior bears the inscription, “Mary James ob. 21 Oct 1833 æt 80”, as well as hallmarks for an 18k London assay and the year 1833. According to parish records, Mary James was born to William and Elizabeth James and baptised 27 April 1753 in Hartlebury, Worcester, England. She passed away on 21 October 1833 and was buried 29 October at St. Clement’s Church, Worcester. Single-palette white enameling is relatively rare for mourning rings, and generally indicated the deceased was unmarried. In Britain, wide band mourning rings came into vogue during the 1790s, replacing the slim bands of 1750-80s. Until about 1815, designs for these wide bands were informed by neoclassical taste, and generally featured plain enamel-inlaid lettering without further flourishes. An interest in fanciful ornamentation was renewed during the 1820-30s, leading to a last ‘golden era’ of mourning band design, in which jewelers applied a broader variety of decorative techniques, textures, and motifs to these rings. A mourning band of similar construction, but in black enamel and featuring fewer decorative elements, is illustrated on plate 18 of “Gedenke mein Freundschafts- und Memorialschmuck” by Gisela Zick.
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