JEWELLERY

The Resurgence of Mourning Jewellery: From the Stuarts to Today

19 February 2026

Hannah Murphy

Signs of the modern resurgence of mourning jewellery are hard to ignore, from the prevalence of contemporary memorial pieces amongst families to the increase in demand for antique pieces at auction, with mourning pieces even making headlines from the red carpet! It’s almost easy to forget that the trend for memorial jewellery has been a staple of Scottish society for centuries.

Memorial pieces, whether it be commemorating a loved one or a cause close to the heart of the wearer, can be traced back centuries. The trend for mourning jewellery famously peaked during the reign of Queen Victoria, and whilst the fashion is often associated with the monarch, mourning customs were established long before the commencement of Victorian rule.

Some of the earliest significant mourning jewellery to have come to market dates from the Stuart era, and this number includes pieces with direct connections to the Stuarts. The House of Stuart, or the original Scots ‘Stewart’, is perhaps the most influential of Scots dynasties, having made an impressive mark on both Scottish, and later, British, history. The tumultuous fates of Stuart kings and queens of old – their lives, deaths, trials and tribulations – has left a legacy visible beyond simply the family tree of the monarchy, and is well charted through memorial jewels which have endured from the period.

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Setting the Scene: An Introduction to the Stuarts

The historic Stewart clan has a long history with the Scottish monarchy, with the first Stewart King, Robert II, crowned in 1371. Almost two centuries later, French influence upon the young Stewart queen, Mary, led the royal family to adopt the altered ‘Stuart’ name.

Mary, Queen of Scots and her husband Henry, himself a Stewart, welcomed just one child, a boy named James. James would become King of Scotland in July 1567 aged only 1 year old, and upon the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603, would be the first monarch to unite Scotland and England under one crown.

The reign of the first Stuart King of Great Britain was not without challenge, though these pale in comparison to those faced by his second son and successor to the throne, Charles. For King Charles I, his inherited belief in the Divine Right of Kings led to a tumultuous reign and, ultimately - following political and religious conflicts, civil war and a trial for treason - his death at the hands of the executioner.

Whilst some hailed the death of King Charles I in 1649 as the end of a tyranny, those in favour of the monarchy remained. The aftermath of the dramatic execution of the ruling monarch saw a period of uncertainty, none more so than for supporters of the late King, who sought to carefully honoured Charles I as a martyr and to subtly signal their support for the Stuarts, and the future King Charles II.

Commemorating King Charles I: The Emergence of Stuart Crystals

The execution of King Charles I thus inspired the emergence of what would come to be known as ‘Stuart Crystal’ jewellery. These pieces were created in the latter half of the 17th century to mourn the late King and to signal support for the Stuarts, with emphasis on the latter such that its been argued these mourning jewels are better described as ‘wearable propaganda’. Typically fashioned in simple settings, these items featured fashioned rock crystal stones encasing hairwork designs overlaid with intricate wire ciphers. Whilst rings were most common, cufflinks, earrings, pendants and other accessories were also seen.

Stylistically there appears little doubt of the influence of these 17th century jewels on the mourning jewellery of the period that followed. The design of ‘Stuart Crystal’ pieces is of one commonly adapted for mourning jewellery of the Georgian period, where designs often feature hair fragments encased below rock crystals. Such pieces may benefit from additional detail, often in enamel, recalling details of the deceased.

An understanding of early British mourning jewellery is incomplete without the crystal pieces which appeared to commemorate King Charles I, though the influence of the Stuart dynasty on memorial customs goes beyond the 17th century.

The 18th Century Stuart Claim

Subsequent decades witnessed political change in Britain and King James (VII of Scotland and II of England) lost the British throne in 1688. Supporters of the exiled King James – who would become known as ‘Jacobites’, after the Latin Jacobus (for James) – sought to restore the Stuart monarchy. Central to these efforts were the son of King James, James Edward Stuart (the ‘Old Pretender’) and latterly, his son, Charles Edward Stuart (the ‘Young Pretender’) best known as ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’, who joined the effort to reclaim the throne in his father’s name.

The ill-fated Jacobite risings of 1715 and 1745 are considered amongst the most pivotal moments in Scottish history, and indeed, the defeat of the Jacobite forces at Culloden in 1746 is known to be the last great battle on British soil.

The Four Peers Ring

When one considers the magnitude of these moments, it is unsurprising that tokens were created in their aftermath, to signal ongoing support for the Stuart claim and to commemorate those lost. Amongst those most noteworthy, an important Jacobite enamel ring known as the Four Peers Ring was sold at Lyon & Turnbull in 2015. This incredible mourning ring is one of only a handful of such rings known to exist, with similar examples present within the collections of Scottish National Museums and the British Museum.

These rings were commissioned in the aftermath of the failed 1745 Jacobite rising, and commemorate the noblemen and officers executed in absence of Bonnie Prince Charlie, who successfully fled in the aftermath of the defeat at Culloden. With Bonnie Prince Charlie having fled to France, noblemen and officers were executed in his stead, most notably the ‘Four Peers’ Earl of Kilmarnock, Lord Balmerino, Earl Derwentwater and Lord Lovat.

In the delicate political landscape of the time, to signal support for the defeated Jacobites and the Stuart claim carried risk of repercussions, so the creation of these pieces was no meagre task. It is believed that the Four Peers Rings were commissioned by Lord Francis Oliphant of Gask, presented to surviving staunch Jacobite families as a symbol of their support for the cause. The rings were likely made by Scots goldsmith Ebenezer Oliphant, well positioned nearby in Edinburgh. Unsurprisingly, the rings do not bear a maker’s mark, though given the risks of crafting such a contentious item within such a delicate political landscape, there is little doubt that anyone other than a supporter of the Stuarts would have undertaken such a hazardous commission.

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The Four Peers Ring

The Four Peers Ring is perhaps one of the most iconic and romantic examples of Jacobite jewellery and contemporary relic. While relic normally denotes a fragment or part of a revered place, person or object these important rings were created at a contemporary moment as a commemorative memorial for the peers and high ranking officers who gave the greatest sacrifice for the cause they so staunchly upheld: the Earl of Kilmarnock, Lord Balmerino, Earl Derwentwater and Lord Lovat.

Jacobite Jewels

Mourning tokens of such significant historical status are of course few in number, though the sentiment embodied by the Four Peers Ring was not so rare, and other examples of Jacobite jewellery have endured.

The tense political landscape of the time was such that fear of repercussion predicated that items symbolising allegiance to the Stuart claim, or commemorating those lost in its name, were worn discreetly, revealed with care to others of a shared sympathy. As such, many are small in size and stature.

Pieces of the period symbolise allegiance to the Stuarts with subtle nods, incorporating Stuart colours, or by way of more obvious symbols, such as seals emblazoned with Jacobite slogans or with painted portraits, with Stuart figures past and present represented. In fact, the Stuarts are known to have gifted portrait miniatures by way of thanks for political and financial support in more prosperous periods, and likely many such pieces were repurposed amidst changing times.

Paving the Way for Georgian Times

The mourning customs of Britain would inevitably have developed in absence of the Stuarts, but there seems little doubt that support for the Stuarts is intertwined with the development of the mourning trends of the time and of those which would follow.

Whilst Jacobite jewels may have aesthetic commonalities with other mourning jewels of the mid 18th century and later, the entrenched secrecy attached to pieces intended to symbolise Stuart support sets the former apart from the latter.

Quite distinctly, mourning jewellery of the Georgian times, and of the style popularised during the reign of Queen Victoria, was intended to be worn publicly to commemorate the loss of the memorialised, and to signal the mourning of the wearer.

From the late 17th century and the period that followed, wealthy society begun to leave proviso in their wills to facilitate the distribution of mourning jewellery, Samuel Pepys famously instructing 123 for his nearest and dearest! With the popularity of the custom in Scotland and throughout Britain, it is of no surprise that treasured mourning tokens from the period have survived, passed down as precious family heirlooms or discovered stowed at the bottom of jewellery boxes. Mourning rings, brooches and other memorial pieces from the Stuart era, through Georgian and Victorian times, into the 20th century, continue to increase in popularity with collectors eager to obtain intact relics of a past long forgotten.

Department

Jewellery

Specialist

Hannah Murphy

Specialist, Jewellery & Watches | Edinburgh

The Resurgence of Mourning Jewellery: From the Stuarts to Today

Do you have something similar?

Setting the Scene: An Introduction to the Stuarts

Commemorating King Charles I: The Emergence of Stuart Crystals

The 18th Century Stuart Claim

The Four Peers Ring

The Four Peers Ring

Jacobite Jewels

Paving the Way for Georgian Times

Jewellery

Hannah Murphy

The 18th Century Stuart Claim