BELOVED: NEW MOURNINGS FOR MEMORIAL JEWELS August 20, 2016SPOTLIGHTOff

 

Personally I love the look and sentiment of antique mourning and memorial jewelry. I appreciate the history and the stories behind the pieces and the workmanship that goes into those from the 17^th through 19^th centuries. But two aspects keep me from wearing it. Firstly, I can’t bring myself to even try on a ring or locket inscribed with the name and dates of someone who passed away at age 59 or even 91—I’m way too superstitious for that. I believe that by wearing the piece, it will change the course of my own fate. Secondly, I have my own loved ones, some who died too young and unexpectedly like my mother and father and those who lived long full lives like my grandmother (97) whom I miss dearly and would love to commemorate by wearing a jewel that memorializes them. I’ve purchased antique and vintage pieces when I found their initials engraved on medallions or on signet rings. I’ve bought date rings with the year of their births—all which when worn, conjure up funny anecdotes and heartfelt moments.

Then last week, I was privy to a preview of a few pieces of a brand new collection called Beloved ™ with a tag line of I Wear Your Memory on Modern Mourning Jewels. I was elated. The designer Masha Shapiro has resurrected the old world charm and workmanship of chasing, black enamel and cleaner, more wearable versions of Gothic letters to create hinged bangles, locket bracelets and my personal favorite, two styles of necklaces rings.

 

 

 

Although the pieces are inspired by the feeling of antique memorial jewelry— the little 18K gold rings, of which you can wear one or three at a time, are black enameled and on one side read mom, dad, sister, brother, friend, my love, grandma, grandpa, daughter, son and pet. Next to the word is a 2mm gemstone, which evokes the feeling of what these people mean in our lives. For example, grandma has a garnet for devotion, while dad has a white diamond and mom a pink diamond for enduring love; even pet has a sapphire for loyalty. On the other side of the ring reads beloved. These rings are straight and round with millegrain tops and bottoms. The other style is shaped like a ribbon around the finger and has sayings such as In My Heart (with the heart motif) and Remembered Forever. And they are just what I have been waiting for, inspired 18K styles that can have your own loved ones’ names, dates or quotes and saying inscribed on the underside. They are sold one each on a 16-inch chain, and are available separately so that you can add on.

Masha Shapiro, a licensed mental health care counselor lost her father when she was 8. She explains,” I was so young but I understood he was gone yet I still wanted to be close to him. Before we had to pack up his clothes, I used to sit in his closet in search of a way to connect with him through his belongings. I would often find myself getting lost in the lingering scent of his clothing.” She continues, “years later when I wanted to wear a piece of jewelry, I could not find anything of tangible and sentimental value that I could wear everyday. I had seen memorial jewelry from the past, and while I could relate to the feelings of love and loss, these pieces didn’t speak of my father, but of other people’s lives. After researching the period pieces, I knew I wanted to capture the feelings but in a small collection that would be relevant to people like myself who desperately wanted to ensure that our beloved’s memories lived on.”

This is how Masha decided on Beloved ™ as the name for the collection and I Wear Your Memory ™ as the tag line. Her first idea was to design a locket bracelet, which would hold a little charm that her father gave to her before he passed away. It reads, ‘Remember Your Beloved.’   It features raised and recessed walls of spaced floral designs around the top and bottom rim of the hinged bangle bracelet and an oval locket top which is set with a matte onyx stone and the Beloved ™ logo heart in which you can keep photos and trinkets. This and the other three bracelets in the first series can also be engraved on the underside of bangles.

There is a signature-hinged bangle with hand finished chasing, black enamel, with the tagline I WEAR YOUR MEMORY—“which says it all for me,” explains Masha.

There will be another more streamlined bangle and one more locket bracelet in a different shape and with a different motif and saying.

All pieces are limited edition at present. During my preview I saw nine of 14 neck rings and one bracelet as well as the technical drawings for all of the other pieces. I already know which one or few, I am ordering.

“It warms my heart to see this collection come to fruition,” Masha explains. Those we loved and lost are always with us in spirit. But like the pieces that mourners wore in the past—we are keeping our loved ones, alive, close to our hearts and in our memories each and every day.”

In partnership with Beloved (I Wear Your Memory: Modern Mourning Jewels) ™