The original makers or owners of most pieces of antique jewellery are destined to remain anonymous. An inscription can thus be a powerful thing – a tangible connection to an individual from the past and a glimpse into a life once lived.
Mourning jewellery – easily stereotyped as morbid and macabre rather than tender and poignant – appeals precisely on this level. It is occasionally bought to wear but more typically as a connection to the past.
“We research the names as much as we can,” says specialist Nicola Whittaker of auctioneers Fellows.