Discover, learn, and collect: antiques and jewellery secrets revealed.

Popular from the 17th century through the Victorian era, these pieces were worn to honour loved ones who had passed away, serving as intimate reminders of connection, grief, and devotion. Today, they are highly collectible not only for their beauty, but also for the deep stories they carry.

A Tradition Rooted in Memory

Mourning jewellery became especially fashionable in the Georgian (1714–1837) and Victorian (1837–1901) eras, when society placed great importance on ritual, remembrance, and symbolism. These pieces were worn by family members as part of mourning customs, which could last months—or even years—depending on the relationship.

Materials Filled With Meaning

Every element of mourning jewellery held symbolic weight:

• Jet – A black fossilized wood from Whitby, England, prized for its deep gloss. Jet became the iconic material of Victorian mourning jewellery.
• Onyx & Black Enamel – Used to represent grief, solemnity, and eternity.
• Gold – Often used in earlier Georgian pieces; later, lower-carat gold and gold-filled metals were common.
• Seed Pearls – Tiny pearls symbolising tears.
• Hairwork – Locks of the loved one’s hair woven into intricate patterns, set behind glass, or braided into chains and rings. Though unusual today, hairwork jewellery was considered a powerful and deeply personal keepsake.

Styles & Motifs

Mourning jewellery often featured symbolic imagery:

• Urns – Classical symbols of remembrance.
• Weeping willows – Representing sorrow and mourning.
• Obelisks and tombs – Common in Georgian miniatures.
• Forget-me-nots – A promise of eternal memory.
• Skulls and skeletons – Earlier “memento mori” pieces reminding wearers of life’s fragility.

Many pieces also included inscriptions, often in gold lettering, reading “In Memory Of”, along with initials or full names and dates.

A Collector’s Dream

Today, antique mourning jewellery is prized for its craftsmanship, emotional depth, and historical context. Each piece is a unique artefact—handcrafted, deeply symbolic, and often passed down through generations. Collectors appreciate these items not just for their beauty but because they reveal a personal story: a glimpse into someone’s life, love, and loss from hundreds of years ago.

Why It Still Matters

Mourning jewellery reminds us that people of the past felt the same love and grief we feel today. These pieces are intimate, expressive, and timeless—miniature memorials that continue to honour those who came before us. For antique lovers, historians, and jewellery collectors, mourning jewellery represents one of the most meaningful categories in the world of adornment.

Gentle Cleaning for Everyday Sparkle

Regular care can make your jewellery and silver look new for years. Use a soft cloth to wipe away oils and dirt, and a gentle soap with warm water for pieces that need a deeper clean. Avoid harsh chemicals, which can damage metals and stones.

Safe Storage

Store items separately in soft pouches or lined boxes to prevent scratches and tangling. For silver, consider anti-tarnish strips or cloths to maintain its shine longer.

Professional Care

For antique or delicate pieces, periodic professional cleaning ensures they are safely maintained without risk of damage. This is especially important for intricate settings, pearls, and fragile vintage pieces.

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Opals are among the most enchanting gemstones in the world—alive with colour, shifting light, and an almost magical inner glow. But unlike harder stones such as diamonds or sapphires, opals need a little extra love to keep them looking their best. Their unique composition makes them sensitive to dryness, chemicals, and sudden temperature changes, so caring for them properly ensures they remain vibrant for generations.

Why Opals Need Special Care

Opals contain a high percentage of water—typically between 3% and 20%. Because of this, they can be more vulnerable to cracking (called “crazing”) if exposed to extreme dryness or sudden changes in temperature. Understanding this helps you treat them with the gentleness they deserve.

Everyday Wear: Gentle Is Key

Opals should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off. Perfume, hairspray, lotions, and cleaning products can dull their surface or cause long-term damage. Try to avoid wearing opals while gardening, doing dishes, exercising, or anything where they might be knocked or exposed to chemicals.

Cleaning Opals Properly

Opals should never be cleaned with ultrasonic machines, steam cleaners, or harsh chemical solutions. The safest way to clean them is:

• Use a soft, damp cloth with lukewarm water
• Add a tiny drop of mild soap if needed
• Gently wipe and pat dry — never soak solid opals for long periods
• Doublets and triplets should not be submerged at all, as water can weaken the glued layers

Storing Opals Safely

To prevent drying out, keep opals in a cool, stable environment. A soft pouch or lined jewellery box works perfectly. If you live in a particularly dry climate or have central heating running in winter, storing your opal with a small piece of damp cotton wool (not touching the jewellery) can help maintain moisture levels.

Opal Doublets & Triplets: Extra Care

Doublets and triplets are layered opals—beautiful and more affordable, but a bit more sensitive. Water, prolonged moisture, or sudden temperature shifts can cause the layers to loosen or cloud. Always wipe them clean rather than soaking, and store them somewhere stable.

A Stone Worth Treasuring

Although opals require gentle care, the payoff is worth it. These gems hold a world of shifting colours, ancient history, and natural magic within them. With careful handling and proper storage, your opal jewellery will remain bright, beautiful, and mesmerising for decades to come.

Hallmarks are one of the most reliable ways to identify genuine gold, silver, platinum, and palladium in the UK. They tell you where an item was tested, what it’s made of, and often when it was created—making them essential for collectors and buyers of antique or vintage jewellery.

What Is a Hallmark?

A hallmark is an official stamp applied by a UK Assay Office after testing an item to confirm its metal purity. This independent verification protects buyers and ensures that precious metal items are genuinely what they claim to be.

The Four UK Assay Offices

Every UK hallmark includes a symbol identifying which Assay Office tested the item:

• London – The Leopard’s Head
• Birmingham – The Anchor
• Sheffield – The Rose (formerly the Crown)
• Edinburgh – The Castle

These essential symbols instantly reveal where the piece passed assay testing, and they help collectors trace a jewellery item’s history.

Metal Purity Marks

A hallmark always includes a fineness mark showing the precious metal content:

• Gold: 375, 585, 750, 916, 999
• Silver: 800, 925, 958, 999
• Platinum: 850, 900, 950, 999
• Palladium: 500, 950

This number is one of the most important parts of the hallmark, confirming the true purity of the metal.

Date Letters

Many UK hallmarks include a letter identifying the year the item was assayed. The font, style, and shape of the letter vary each year, helping experts date jewellery very accurately—especially Georgian, Victorian, and early 20th-century pieces.

Why Hallmarks Matter

Whether you’re collecting, selling, or simply enjoying your jewellery, hallmarks provide clarity, assurance, and history. Knowing how to read them helps you understand exactly what you own—and ensures you’re getting fair value when buying or selling precious metals.

Old English Hallmarks & 15-Carat Gold

Fifteen-carat gold (15ct / 625) was produced mainly between 1854–1932 and appears on many Victorian and early Edwardian pieces. Marked as “15”, “15ct” or sometimes as “625”, it contains 62.5% pure gold. Because 15ct is no longer produced, genuine pieces are sought after and often more desirable than later lower-carat jewellery. A small hallmark—yet one that adds both history and value.

1. Retro & Mid‑Century Jewellery

Jewellery from the 1950s–1970s, especially in bold geometric styles, colourful gemstones, and gold‑plated designs, is seeing a resurgence. The mid-century aesthetic is highly collectible, and pieces from reputable makers or designers are commanding premium prices.

2. Sterling Silverware & Tableware

Well-crafted silver forks, teapots, and trays, especially from top-tier English silversmiths, are becoming more sought after. As silver bullion prices remain strong and craftsmanship is increasingly appreciated, fine vintage silver is climbing in value.

3. Vintage Watches

Mechanical watches from the 1960s to 1980s — Nautilus, Carrera, and vintage Omega models — are in hot demand. Collectors are increasingly drawn to high-quality timepieces with original parts and minimal restoration.

4. Antique Books & First Editions

First editions, especially of classic literature, rare prints, or early 20th-century books, are gaining value. Scarcity, historic importance, and condition are driving this trend, particularly among bibliophiles and nostalgic collectors.

5. Costume & Vintage Designer Pieces

Costume jewellery by designers like Trifari, Monet, and Dior, as well as vintage handbags and accessories, are being snapped up. With fashion‑collector demand rising and fewer quality vintage pieces available, these items are a smart long-term investment.

Why These Are Rising: The common thread among these collectibles is quality, design, and scarcity. As more people look for tangible, nostalgic investment pieces, these five categories are being driven up in price.