1836 Georgian Mourning Band

A gorgeous late Georgian mourning band, crafted during the penultimate year of William IV’s reign, and fully hallmarked with a set of four punches certifying solid 18k gold, 1836 London assay, and excise duty paid (profile of William IV). In black enamel inlay are the words “In Memory of”, circumscribing the central field against a textured ground of incised lines and framed by bands of chased scrollwork. Mourning bands of this type reflect design modifications upon earlier enameled bands in the neoclassical taste. By the late 1820s, the first wave of Romanticism had permeated European decorative arts; changing fashions demanded more fanciful ornamentation in the gothic revival style. The previously minimalistic mourning bands of the past two-three decades were updated with gothic typography, textured gold grounds, and gorgeously chased edging. A closely related example to the present ring is illustrated on page 159 of Georgian Jewellery 1714-1830.
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