£1,000
Out of stock
Layaway 1 of 3 – May 2026
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An exceptional, museum quality, antique mourning ring. This unusual design features a chequerboard effect of black and white enamel to an elegant gold band, with a secret inner compartment containing a lock of hair. It is extremely rare to find a mourning ring with this design – I have not seen another example. Whilst it’s not hallmarked I believe dates to circa 1800-1810 which is when elegant simple bands and enamel were particularly in vogue.
The quality is exquisite with tiny cells for the enamel and a fine quality hinge that mean the inner locket is almost imperceptible. The inside of the shank is hand engraved in lovely script with “Gustave” on one side of the compartment and “Ma pauvre Victorine”; this translates literally to ‘my poor Victorine’ but pauvre is also used colloquially to mean ‘dear’ so it would make more sense as ‘my dear Victorine’. It’s charming to think that Gustave loved Victorine so much he had this ring commissioned in her memory and sad that we don’t have a date to be able to research their love story further.
This is an exceptionally rare antique mourning ring from my personal collection; please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries.
ERA: Georgian 1800-1810
ORIGIN: Likely Belgian rather than French or English as it is not hallmarked.
MATERIAL: Gold and enamel
SIZE: US size 4.75 / UK size J – please note this ring cannot be resized. Band is 6mm wide.
CONDITION: This is in lovely antique condition given that it is more than 200 years old. The band has a nice thickness and the engraving inside is still bright showing that it has not had too much wear. The secret compartment is designed to be opened with a pin from one side. The mechanism is still strong and the compartment ‘snaps’ shut securely. There is no glass inside the compartment; this is not a flaw as it was never intended to have one – I only mention it because the tiny lock of Victorine’s hair is still present.
The condition of the enamel is good for its age and rarity; importantly the ring does still have a ‘good side’ where there is minimal loss of enamel. To the other side there are, to my count, seven of the enamel cells with some damage and a couple of minor losses to the edge of the band. Interestingly there is one section of the enamel where the jeweller has not been able to continue the chequerboard effect and had to place a few black squares together – a quirk that I think just makes it even more charming!
CARE GUIDANCE: To maintain the condition of the ring I would advise that this be a ‘special occasion’ rather than daily wear piece. It’s certainly a lot more robust than many other mourning pieces of this era but she is still an old lady. As the enamel goes all the way around the band particular care should be taken to avoid wearing this during manual labour/sports.
SHIPPING: Free inside the UK and to the U.S. – please note buyers are responsible for customs charges
| ERA | Georgian |
|---|---|
| RING STYLE | Band |
| METAL | Yellow Gold |
Original price was: £1,145.£1,000Current price is: £1,000.
