Antique Victorian gold tone black onyx oval pendant likely a MOURNING necklace

Mourning jewellery was a distinct style of jewellery popular during the Georgian era (1714–1837), particularly in England. These pieces were created to commemorate the deceased and often carried deep emotional and symbolic meaning for those left behind. Mourning jewellery dates even further back to the 1600s but gained huge popularity in the 1800s when Queen Victoria mourned the death of her beloved Albert. This was espessically pronouced for woman of the time. For example, widows were expected to wear mourning clothes for two years (one year in full mourning, one year in half mourning). In addition to wearing only black during deep mourning, a widow could not go out in society except to attend church.