Pearls were used in Victorian mourning jewelry to represent tears; seed pearls were often used to adorn larger pieces. After the death of her husband, Queen Victoria wore only black for the last 40 years of her life and frequently paired her mourning regalia with pearl jewelry.
Inspired by Victorian mourning jewelry, the focal piece of this pendant is a flashy carved black mother-of-pearl coffin. When light hits the carved surface at different angles, it has a phenomenal iridescent shimmer. The coffin is surrounded by tiny strung seed pearls. The backside of the pendant is stamped with my maker's mark (BLJ). All of the silver has been oxidized, a process which creates the blackened or antiqued appearance on silver. The raised points have been polished to shine, while the low points retain the oxidized color to show off the depth and details. The pendant measures 1.5" tall and 0.75" wide at the widest point. All metal used in this piece is sterling silver.
Want to add a sterling silver chain? If in stock, you can find those options here:
Cable Chain and Forged Link Chain
This item is already made, and will be shipped 3-5 business days after the payment is processed. Shipping options will be available to choose upon check-out.
This piece will include the special collection packaging and extras for the Dearly Beloved II Collection.
A few notes on caring for oxidized sterling silver: oxidized patina on sterling silver isn't particularly durable to long-term exposure to water (like bathing or swimming) or a lot of scrubbing, as friction is the way to polish silver to shine. Constant exposure to tasks such as hand washing, bathing, swimming, washing dishes, etc., will slowly wear away the oxidized patina leaving a shiny silver finish.
Please contact me with any questions!