Victorian Memento Mori Carved Coral Skull Cufflinks

A very unusual pair of carved coralAn organic gem, calcium carbonate with a trace of carotene, deposited by tiny sea creatures living in the depths of warm seas in huge colonies. It grows in branches that look like underwater trees. Coral is believed to be one of the oldest forms of gemstone jewellery, with some pieces dating back as far as 23,000 BC. cufflinks in the shape of skulls. Memento moriLatin for: “remember you are only mortal”. A motif used as decoration on various articles in the form of a reminder of mortality, e.g. as a coffin, a death’s-head or a skeleton. Such pieces were not in remembrance of a departed person, but were an abstract warning of death, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries. They include finger rings, brooches, ensei… is Latin for “remember that you will die”. Rather than being macabre, memento mori jewellery is meant to act as a reminder to cherish each day you’re alive. They are joined together with 15ct62.5% pure gold (or 625 parts pure gold and 375 parts other metals). Popular during the Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco eras but was discontinued in the mid-1930s. gold chains. They were made circa 1860-1900.