georgian sentimental german mourning pin
An early nineteenth century Georgian sentimental mourning pin, with intricate design including an urn marked 'FZ' set atop a plinth, formed from layers of hair and accented by goldwork and seed pearls, further accented by a willow tree overhanging the central urn and colorful flowers arraying the area beneath the tree, calligraphy around the top arch reads 'Ewig will ich deine Asche Ehren' or 'Forever will I your ashes honor,' c-clasp to the reverse, length 1 inch, circa 1800.
A long tradition of jewelry containing or made entirely of hair dates back to the eighteenth century. It is a common misconception that jewelry featuring locks of hair was entirely made for mourning purposes, when in fact hair jewels were commonly given as love tokens, familial reminders, or promises of friendship. This sentimental jewelry comes in a huge variety of forms from brooches and rings featuring braided locks of hair to bracelets, necklaces, and earrings made entirely of elaborately woven strands. The wonderful variations in color and style makes for an endless array of objects for the modern collector.