Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
September 25, 2010
My husband gave an appraiser a beautiful brooch which belonged to my grandmother, with diamond studs in it. His report referrers to it as a piece of "mourning jewelry". I 'd never heard of this concept before and don't know what it means. Can anyone shed some light on it, please? Thanks a million.
October 2, 2010
Hello. Wow, that's some piece of jewelry your grandmother passed down to you. Hold on to that! It's a vintage piece from the late 1800's, and it's called a mourning piece because it is from the time when the Queen was mourning her husband. A diamond brooch from that period should be worth quite a lot. Consider selling it at an auction if it doesn't hold sentimental value with you. This is a rare piece that will surely fetch a very nice price.
September 27, 2010
Hi there. It means your brooch is a retro piece form the Mid Victorian era. Vintage jewelry is categorized according to the period it's from. There's piece from the Georgian Era, the Early Victorian Era, the Mid Victorian Era, Late Victorian Era, Arts and Crafts jewelry, Art Nouveau, Edwardian, and others. "Mourning jewelry" was popular in the Mid Victorian Era, which was also referred to as "Grand jewelry." It refers to the period after the decease of Victoria's husband. Jewelry of this era commonly featured solemn dark stones and designs. (The stones included onyx, amethyst, garnet and other heavy gemstones.) At this point, jewelry also become quite creative, and featured many more colorful gemstones and unique designs. This must be a very valuable as it is from one of the older "vintage periods," (that is between 1856-1880), and the fact that it is a "mourning piece" means it has that extra historical value as the design or choice of gems corresponds very clearly to the death of Queen Victoria's husband.
