The earliest jewelry made and owned in America was of a sentim | EN EREBOS PHOS
The earliest jewelry made and owned in America was of a sentimental nature, related either to courtship and marriage or to death and mourning. Human hair and symbols of death were sometimes incorporated into mourning jewelry. Heart-shaped lockets were another type of personalized jewelry. In this example, a faceted crystal was secured to the gold back by a crimped, scalloped edge. Beneath the glass, a tightly woven plait of light brown hair was laid onto a silk background. The locket is inscribed on its reverse with the death date of the deceased: “obt 20 / of April / 1706″ above an engraved skull.
As a reminder of a loved one, whether living or deceased, hair was a durable material that could be treated in a decorative manner. In this elongated oval brooch, plaited hair has been set beneath a crystal face and mounted in gold. A row of faceted jet offsets the inner pearl border. The back of the brooch is engraved with a memorial inscription that reads “Chas. T. Evans, / Obt. at sea, / Sept. 20th 1852. / AE . 39 yrs.”
This meticulously fashioned brooch is an example of mourning jewelry manufactured by the fashionable New York firm of Tiffany & Company. Plaited hair is enclosed under highly polished crystal set in gold and mounted with white pearls alternating with black enameled epaulettes. The overall effect is one of boldness and elegance. The lovely auburn hair belonged to Cornelia Ray Hamilton, who died in 1867 at the age of thirty-seven. Her life dates are engraved on the underside of the brooch: “Cornelia Ray Hamilton. / BORN DEC. 26th 1829. DIED DEC 1st 1867.”
