Zanathia jewellery
What I love most about following Tanzy Ward of Zanathia Jewelry on Instagram is that she always shows me something I haven't seen before.
Ward is both an antique jeweller and a jewellery historian, specialising in antique jewellery and portraits belonging to or depicting black people of the Victorian era.
He is a member of the American Society of Jewelry Historians and has written books on antique jewelry, including Hidden Legacies: African Presence in European Antiques and Unsung Portraits: Anonymous Images of Black Victorians and Early 20th Century Ancestors.
Ward shared some interesting jewelry and collectibles from the Great Victorian Era (1861-1880). Specifically memorial and mourning pieces.
This period in the age began with the death of Prince Albert. It was common at the time to wear black for at least two years as a sign of mourning, Ward said.
The devastated Queen Victoria wore black for the rest of her life.
Mourning jewelry, from this season and in general, is not scary or creepy as much as it is disturbing.
There's something about all the sadness it conveys that makes me want to look away. Unfortunately, that can be hard to do when the pieces are so beautifully crafted.
In the bottom left corner, there is a pin with a jet cameo.
Jet, a type of petrified wood used as a gemstone, was popular for use in mourning jewelry.
This French jet pin was created in Atleboro, Massachusetts, Ward said.
“The beautiful engraving is drawn on what appears to be gilt brass and the lady in the piece was a rather common symbol and figure representing the mourning jewellery of the Victorian era,” he said.
There is something really striking about this pin, how the figure seems almost trapped, a recognisable feeling for some as we mourn.
In this photo is a sterling silver pendant from the Edwardian era (1901-1915). Whose initials are these? What was their life like? Who did they leave it to?;
These are all questions that Ward, armed with enough information, could probably answer, but the mystery is tantalizing.
“Antique sentimental jewelry is an important item that helps research and preserve archival records,” she says on her website, adding that ancestral heirlooms double as primary sources when researching history.
Ward said she is in the process of curating more black Victorian memorial black mourning jewelry. But they are “harder and rarer to find.”.
Lisa Kramer Vintage
I asked Lisa Kramer of Lisa Kramer Vintage if she had anything scary for my Halloween story. She told me she had a piece of jewelry “made of literally creepy crawlies”.
Being who I am, I had to see this.
This ruffle style collar is made of beetle feathers. It is set in 18-karat gold and decorated with diamonds and pearls.
If you are the type who prefers to combine jewelry with insects, there is also a matching pair of earrings.
Sounds disgusting an insect necklace. But the vibrant color and iridescence of these beetle wings are really quite beautiful.
So could I get over the fact that I wear so many beetle feathers around my neck? I don't think so.
Happy Halloween!
I don't tend to skip the holidays, says Lenore Fedow. Especially my favorite, Halloween, but I'd like to close with some Thanksgiving spirit.
I like to write a scary story for you every fall. It's my favorite project of the year.
But what I thought would be a niche, one-off story about cursed jewelry has turned into an annual ongoing Halloween series.
I can keep writing these strange stories because you keep reading them, and that means a lot. It also means that you're probably a little weird yourself. But all the best people are, as the Mad Hatter says.
So I wish you and yours a fun and scary season. Until next year!
Source: nationaljeweler.com
