I love Georgian and Victorian jewelry, and anything with symbolism. I think I would wear a miniature eye piece of jewelry, if people didn't think it was so freaky! Would you? They say the eyes are the window to the soul...
Miniature eye paintings, in jewelry, can trace its beginning to the late 18th century when the Prince of Wales wanted to have a love token made for his secret lover, the married Mrs. Fitzherbert. The idea of using a part of the body such as only the eye was introduced so as to hide the lover's identity. The bearers were the only ones who could identify the sitter, as the gift of an eye miniature was always to remain a secret. Although Mrs. Fitzherbert and the Prince of Wales later parted, it is said that upon his death in 1830 he was found to be wearing the locket with her eye around his neck. This is what started the Lover's Eye Miniatures, as they have now become known.
Soon, people were also painting the eyes of their departed loved ones, and this became known as Mourning Jewelry. Usually the difference in Lover's pendants and Mourning pendants are in the shape of the eye, with the mourning ones often in the shape of a tear, and sometimes with death dates inscribed in them also.
photo: image event/bluboi
Georgian Mourning Ring c1800
In Mourning jewelry, the stones used are all symbolic for hidden meanings. The black color if done in Jet stone represents sadness and grief, and if in Onyx, it means discordance, fear and sadness.
photo: image event
Georgian ivory patch box, c1790
Patch Boxes are boxes that were popular in the 18th Century, and were usually made using expensive materials such as ivory, and often covered in gemstones. These boxes were usually given as a gift of admiration or love. They held pieces of sticky (gummed) taffeta to which a woman (and sometimes men too) would put on her face to show off her complexion, or to portray a sentiment. She would have them cut in different shapes, such as dots, crescents, stars, even animals. If she put the fabric at the corner of her eye, it would indicate passion. If she wore it in the middle of her forehead, it would denote dignity.
photo: image event
Georgian Mourning ring, c1817
Detail of ring, with enamel and gold urn
photo: image event
Painting of Gerald Sinclair Hayward (1854-1926)
painted by Hayward himself in 1905
photo: image event
Lover's hazel eye. When this pendant is hung on a chain,
notice how the eye looks up at the wearer
photo: image event
Lover's eye c1800 in the "shuttle" shape
that was used only from 1790-1800
photo: image event/bluboi
Blue eye painted on agate, pendant dated 1865
In the stones used for mourning pendants, Agate represents health and longevity.
Brown eye pendant with turquoise & pearls
The turquoise represents prosperity, youth & innocent love and also the phrase "fortune favours thee".
photo: image event/bluboi
Dawes eye miniature with diamond tear.
Mourning pin, in an obvious tear shape with tear. In Mourning symbolism, diamonds represent innocence and light and "forever thine/true love".
4 Mourning pins
The rubies symbolize courage and purity, and the cat's eye: platonic love.
photo: image event/bluboi
photo: image event/bluboi
Lovers Eye ring, c1870
photo: image event/bluboi
Lovers Eye pendant with pearls and lock of hair in the back
Modern eye pendant, used to ward off evil spirits
