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

3 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?

Looking for a Seamless Sale? Call Wilkerson

After almost 60 years in business, Breakiron Jewelers in Erie, Pennsylvania, was closing its doors. And the store’s owner, Linda Breakiron, was ready for it. She had run the store as its sole owner since the beginning of the millennium and was looking forward to a change. Of course, she called Wilkerson. Breakiron talked to other jewelers who had used Wilkerson and was satisfied with their response. “They always had positive feedback,” she recalls. With the sales, marketing and even additional inventory that Wilkerson provided, Breakiron insists she could never have accomplished her going-out-of-business sale without Wilkerson’s help. She’s now ready for the journey ahead, but looking back, she’d be sure to recommend Wilkerson. “They just made the whole process very seamless.”