Description

Please see the photos, which form part of the description, and our Instagram reel posted the day after Halloween, 2026: https://www.instagram.com/brokenhillvintage

• Our rare, single-consignment, estate collection is from circa 1870-1895.
• After Queen Victoria lost her beloved Prince Albert to typhoid in December, 1861, she only wore black...and so the Victorian cult of mourning began.
• MID TO LATE MOURNING (STAGE II OR III). A widow could wear a lovely lavender gown in Stage III but use the brooch as a polite boundary-marker to say "I am re-entering society but I am still honouring a loss".
• ERA: GENUINE 1870s-1880s.
• SIZE: Approximately 5 x 3.5 cm.
• COLOUR: Rich tannins in the soil of the peat bog gave the wood its permanent, deep charcoal-black hue. Image 2 (hand) shows the actual matte black colour, which makes any imperfections from this 150-year-old brooch hard to see.
• CONDITION: Excellent antique condition with the original C-clasp hardware fully-intact. The last two images are in bright afternoon sunlight to amplify all the details.
• COMPOSITION: Expertly fashioned from authentic, ancient Irish Bog Oak - hardwood which was naturally preserved for centuries beneath the oxygen-free peat bogs of Ireland. Bog oak was prized for being lightweight and warm to the touch when worn.
• FEATURES: Written text, which makes it a highly-collectible example of memento mori (tokens of remembrance). There is a prominent "In Memory Of" scroll inside an elegant paisley teardrop motif (expressing tears), which enfolds memorial flowers. The heavy rope-twist border represents an eternal, unbroken bond between souls. Natural wood grain growth rings are visible on the back.
• CARE: I have wiped the brooch with a damp cloth. You may want to ask an antique jewellery expert for the best product to clean the crevices.
• C.ODE: M-P-C