Fade to Black

RAPAPORT…

Mourning jewelry in England has had a very long history,
dating back to the seventeenth century, and waxing and waning over the ensuing
years, points out Lisa Stockhammer-Mial, president, The Three Graces, an online
retailer of fine antique and estate jewelry. “Whitby jet and other ‘black’
jewelry emerged in full force upon the death of Queen Victoria’s husband, the
Prince Consort Albert, in 1861. Queen Victoria herself remained in formal
mourning for the rest of her life.”

From the time that Albert died until about 1880, it was
required that if you were appearing at court you be in mourning dress, adds
Mary Borchert, gemologist and jewelry historian currently with Antique Jewelry
University, an online educational forum covering antique, vintage and estate
jewelry. “Mourning actually became a ‘fashion’ at the time. It was very
elaborate, from the dresses worn to the kinds of veils and hats and the
mourning jewelry that all had to go together.”

A Wealth of Materials

Invention was in the air during the nineteenth century,
points out Stockhammer-Mial, “and jewelry was no exception. The range of materials
found in black and mourning jewelry throughout this century is varied and
diverse, from natural materials to man-made. Whitby jet, French jet or glass,
Vauxhall glass, vulcanized rubber — also known as vulcanite — bog oak and gutta
percha — a rubbery substance made from the latex of certain Malaysian trees —
are just some of the most popular materials mined or manufactured to quench the
almost insatiable desire for black jewelry. In fact, the appeal of these pieces
carried on well through the 1920s, where you still find ‘all black’ jewelry,
particularly for day, or as costume jewelry.”

Whitby jet, a fossilized material, was more for the upper
echelon, says Borchert. “It was hand carved and labor intensive to make into
jewelry. French jet, a black glass invented later, became popular with the
masses as a less costly alternative.”

 According to
jewelry historian Judith Anderson, president of Bijoux Extraordinaire and the
Jewelry Experts, Manchester, New Hampshire, “You might have a piece of mourning
jewelry that was completely covered in a matte-finished black enamel. Or you’d
have a gold piece that had what’s called black enamel tracery, more of a
glossy-type enamel, usually in the form of scrollwork. Other materials included
black coral, jet and onyx. You could have blocky, beaded necklaces made of onyx
beads or carved jet.”

Another category of mourning jewelry in favor in Victorian
times was hair jewelry, which, says Borchert, “had been around since the
seventeenth century and became really popular again at this time. A little curl
of hair might be placed in a piece as simple as a locket with a clear cover. Or
the hair could be braided and made into chains to shape into incredible
three-dimensional, open-weave pieces of jewelry. A little gold cap was used to
hook the piece to the earring wire or necklace loop.”

 “You either
like hair jewelry, or you don’t,” Anderson says.“It’s really more of a
collector’s item. It was very fragile but they lacquered it. Making this
jewelry became a cottage industry — women learned the trade, which was passed
from woman to woman, mother to daughter. People would bring them the hair of
the deceased and they would plait or braid the hair and fashion it, crochet it
and make jewelry items with the hair.”

Decorative Details

Mourning jewelry was usually worn large and bold, says
Stockhammer-Mial. And while most often, you find black jewelry without further
ornamentation, it doesn’t, she says, mean the pieces were plain. “They were
intricate and patterned. They could be carved with symbols of mourning, adorned
with floral motifs or they might have molded-in cameos.”

Anderson cites design elements such as doves — a symbol of
Christ— crosses and scrolls, “urns and weeping willow trees and motifs and
design elements you’d see in a Victorian cemetery.” She points out that there
could be dramatic designs, “such as a brooch with tassels of foxtail chain or
made of gold fashioned in elongated, articulated, needlelike shapes that look
like the tail of a snake. And the body of the brooch would have black enamel
tracery on it.”

Although this jewelry wasn’t elaborately gem set, Borchert
points out that there could be little stones or pearls. If the piece had a gold
backing, sometimes the name of the person might be engraved, or the letters “IMO”
included to signify “in memory of.” And some pieces, she says, rather than
black, might be a very deep, vivid blue in color, especially rings.

“Every type of jewelry was represented, ” says
Stockhammer-Mial. “Irish and Celtic themes, snakes, abstract forms, buckles and
crosses all were employed. You also might find gold jewelry inset with black
enamel for mourning. We recently sold a rare Whitby jet ring set with a
diamond. Occasionally, you come across wonderful applied gold on the jet.”

Availability and Appeal

 “Because
Victoria dictated correct mourning attire, there is quite a bit of lovely
Victorian mourning jewelry available,” says Suzanne Martinez, Lang Antique
& Estate Jewelry, San Francisco, California, “black onyx jewelry as well as
amethyst, the latter worn during half mourning. Both are popular fashion
jewelry today. I don’t think a lot of people realize that some of it is
mourning jewelry. Exceptional black onyx without any damage to the stone is
going to be harder to find. Hair jewelry is not very popular and it is found in
damaged to fine condition.”

Borchert says brooches are more available. “Especially” she
says, “those with black tracery enamel. And you still see rings, because people
had lots of rings.” While Anderson sees a fair amount of mourning jewelry out
there, she cautions that it is a “collector-specific market. Some people love
it. And hair jewelry is an even more precise collectible market; it’s a smaller
niche, although it has periods of broader appeal. Prices depend on quality,
detail, condition, scale of item and materials. There are very common pieces
and very expensive pieces of mourning jewelry.”

Victorian mourning jewelry did leave us “this incredible,
unusual jewelry from the period, the vulcanite and the jet especially, as well
as the hair jewelry,” says Borchert. And while those are more specialized
categories, she points out that “some of the gold brooches with tracery enamel
and little pearls are more likely to be collected for looks as part of a
Victorian jewelry collection and not necessarily as mourning jewelry.”

Moreover, says Stockhammer-Mial, jewelry that originated for
one purpose, such as mourning, can eventually be appreciated simply as a lovely
piece of black jewelry. “Black never seems to be a fashion ‘don’t.’ For day or
night, whether in New York or California, black is the neutral. Its appeal
continues to be universal and it is in demand. Once people realize it isn’t all
about mourning, they tend to warm to its often modern, bold, stylish appeal.”