Gem Quiz

Whereas Most Jewelry Celebrates Life and Joy, I Help People Mourn What’s Lost

Dark as a starless night, I’m ready to take off again.

Published

2 years ago

June 3, 2021

Chris Burslem

LOVE, LIFE AND birth? There was a time when jewelry was also worn to signify death, loss and passage. Mourning jewelry it was called, and I was the dark prince of that trend. My heyday was the second half of the 19th century, and my chief promoter was Queen Victoria, whose grief-inspired fashion sensibilities set the tone for an age. Light and soft but as black as a starless night, I was perfect for making cameos, pendants and necklaces. In recent years, I have made something of a comeback, but this time in earrings, brooches and beads.

Who am I?

Time to Do What You've Always Wanted? Time to Call Wilkerson.

It was time. Teri Allen and her brother, Nick Pavlich, Jr., had been at the helm of Dearborn Jewelers of Plymouth in Plymouth, Mich., for decades. Their father, Nick Pavlich, Sr., had founded the store in 1950, but after so many wonderful years helping families around Michigan celebrate their most important moments, it was time to get some “moments” of their own. Teri says Wilkerson was the logical choice to run their retirement sale. “They’re the only company that specializes in closing jewelry stores,” she says. During the sale, Teri says a highlight was seeing so many generations of customers who wanted to buy “that one last piece of jewelry from us.” Would she recommend Wilkerson? Absolutely. “There is no way that I would have been able to do this by myself.”