Mourning necklace
Jewellery
Inventory number
2021.7.6.2.JW.NC.C1870.GBDescription
Long necklace consisting of a black velvet chain and vulcanite pendant embellished with a cameo representing a high relief portrait of a woman, looking down with her eyes closed, on a large teardrop shape with surrounding circular bead shapes, graduated by size from top to the bottom, also in vulcanite.Often called "ebonite", vulcanite was the mass-produced rival to actual jet. Vulcanite is a type of vulcanized rubber formed by combining sulfur and India rubber, then heating the mixture for several hours. Charles GOODYEAR is credited with developing the process, which he patented in 1844.
Mourning jewellery came into prominence with the death of Prince Albert, whom Queen Victoria mourned for over 40 years by having all members of the royal court dressed entirely in black, including jewellery and accessories. This extended to the populace, whose demand for mourning jewelry as a fashionable statement spawned many imitations in different materials, such as more common Berlin iron, cut steel, bog oak and jet, as well as new, more cheep for manufacture, gutta percha and vulcanite, which were molded, as opposed to carved.
Materials
VulcaniteVelvet
Origin
circa 1870 England, United KingdomDimensions
Length : 16 cmHeight : 33 cm