victorian mourning jewelry: the inspiration behind the til death band
At Til Death World, we draw a lot of our inspiration from the Victorian era, which corresponds to the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. Around this time marrying for love and compatibility became more popular in society, breaking from what used to be mostly economic or transactional. Queen Victoria’s very public love story with Prince Albert helped give this a big push.
At the same time as this rise of romanticism, there was a darker story unfolding. The Victorian Era was marked by widespread deadly diseases that plagued life in unhygienic, overcrowded, industrial cities. High mortality rates forced a familiarity and comfort around death. The Victorians embraced memento mori—a reminder that life is short and love is worth marking—and it’s an idea we’re especially fond of. Our biggest source of inspiration from the era is mourning jewelry.
what is victorian mourning jewelry?
It’s jewelry worn to remember someone who has died. Mourning jewelry dates back centuries, but Queen Victoria took it mainstream after the passing of her beloved husband Prince Albert in 1861. For decades after he died, Victoria entered a period of very public mourning, wearing mainly black clothing and jewelry until her death nearly 40 years later. Queen Victoria was a trendsetter—in fact, she also popularized the white wedding dress, where previously brides wore bright, bold colors—so her public grief made mourning jewelry a common practice among the elite and everyday people alike.
Queen Victoria mainly wore jewelry made of jet, a dark fossilized wood. But jet was expensive and hard to work with, so black enamel became a popular alternative, as did black onyx. Other common materials included pearls, tortoiseshell, vulcanite, and even the hair of the deceased. Each carried its own meaning, but all of it was made to remember and honor loved ones who have passed.
spotlight on enamel
One material stands out for us: enamel. It’s the one that inspired us most in making our beloved Til Death Band. Enamel is a hard, glossy substance made of powdered glass fused to metal. It was a common choice for mourning jewelry because it was inexpensive, easy to work with, and available in different colors that carried meaning on their own.
- Black: the most iconic of all mourning colors, thanks to Queen Victoria. Black symbolizes grief, finality, and the acknowledgement of loss.
- White: this enamel was typically reserved for young children or those who never married. It represented purity, innocence, and was a reminder of a life lost too soon.
- Blue: typically worn in the later stages of mourning, when color re-entered the grievers wardrobe. It represented constancy, loyalty, and steadfast love.
the til death® band
The Til Death® band is our take on Victorian mourning jewelry, drawing from the passion and symbolism of the era. Most of our bands are made with enamel, the material most true to the era. We took the words from the classic wedding phrase “til death do us part” and set them on the ring in Old English lettering, another nod to the era.
It’s a band meant to outlast the wearer. Wear it to mark a lifelong commitment to your partner, or with friends and family to show how much they mean to you. It comes in 4mm and 6mm widths, in sterling silver or gold, with black, white, or cherry mocha enamel. Black and white come straight from the Victorian palette. Cherry mocha is ours—a romantic yet gothic red.
The Victorians wore jewelry to keep love close, even after death. The Til Death band does the same, just while you’re both still here to wear it. Shop the viral Til Death band.
the viral til death band
