A 19TH CENTURY MOURNING RING, 1835

Set centrally with a frame of enamel surrounded by half-pearls, between carved trifurcated shoulders, mounted in 18K gold, hallmarked London 1835 and...

A 19TH CENTURY MOURNING RING, 1835

Set centrally with a frame of enamel surrounded by half-pearls, between carved trifurcated shoulders, mounted in 18K gold, hallmarked London 1835 and engraved "Dorcas Grives obt 4 June 1835 Oct 79" with heart-shaped fitted case, ring size U

Mourning rings are commemorative rings created and worn to pay tribute to a deceased relative, close friend or historical figure. Accounts of mourning rings date back as far as the Roman Empire. After the defeat of the Romans by the Carthage Army lead by Hannibal at the battle of Cannae c.216 BC (a great battle of the Second Punic War), the Carthaginian general ordered all gold rings of the slain Roman soldiers to be removed and sent back to Carthage as proof of the armys great victory. In remembrance of the fallen soldiers or others who had passed away, the elite of Roman society would remove their gold rings and replace them with iron ones to show they were in mourning. This tradition was only practiced by the upper classes as under Caesars reign only the rich could wear gold rings. Centuries later mourning rings were still in use and have been identified from the 15th to the early 20th Century, the pinnacle of their popularity being during the 18th Century.

 

 

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