A c. 1790-1800 Neoclassical mourning or sentimental ring, featuring a hairwork Savoy knot against of a ground with seed pearl embellishments, set beneath a glazed compartment within a large oval head with enamel inlay. The posterior is inscribed, “Joanna Lane 1818”, but the ring itself is of characteristically c. 1790-1800 workmanship, with its elongated oversized scale and triangular shoulders that taper smoothly into the back plate, features that would be largely abandoned for smaller circular or rectangular heads and flat bands after 1810 (in British jewelry design; some continental examples being exceptions). The concentric borders with royal blue and opaque white enamel, accented with bright-cut gold, is also a popular feature seen on British Neoclassical jewels made in the years leading up to and around 1800. For instance, a very similar late 18th c oval brooch with hair knot, seed pearls, and a setting with concentric enamel inlay is in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston (2009.1666.A,.B). A pair of c. 1800 bracelet clasps with yet similar features (and again, with concentric blue-white enamel borders) is in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (23.288). The discrepancy between the production and inscription dates suggest this ring may have possibly been a sentimental jewel, made to hold the lock of a family member or friend, with the inscription later added in 1818 upon the passing of the individual commemorated, thereby transforming the piece into a mourning ring. There is a large degree of fluidity and overlap between Georgian sentimental and mourning jewels, with often the inscription being the decisive indicator of its intended significance. Though, absent a detailed inscription, and due to the prevalent ‘Lane’ surname, it’s not possible to identify the specific Joanna inscribed via parish records. If not for mourning, the inscription could have recorded 1818 as the year the ring was gifted, or commemorated an event of personal significance.

The late 18th - early 19th centuries saw an intense flourishing of emotional jewelry made to gift, exchange, and keep locks of hair among family and friends, forming lasting symbolic and material ties of affection to bridge distances formed by time, geography, and death. The present ring holds a lock of hair that’s been stylized in a popular decorative knot known as the Savoy knot, named so due to its use in heraldry and early association with the House of Savoy and its motto: “Stringe ma non costringe (It tightens, but does not constrain)". In Britain, it’s also known as the Cavendish knot due to its adoption by the Dukes of Devonshire as a heraldic badge. Along with the love knot, the Savoy is one of the most prolifically appearing knots in Georgian sentimental and mourning jewelry, appearing in hairwork and painted miniatures alike. A lock of Edward IV’s hair, recovered in 1789 and cased in a contemporaneous Neoclassical ring, is also for instance arranged in a Savoy knot (see cat. 294, Historic Rings by Diana Scarisbrick). Its popularity and significance can be attributed to its practical importance: sailors know it as the Flemish or figure-of-eight knot, an essential stopper knot tied in the ends of tackle falls and running rigging. From this use, a symbolic meaning of strength and constancy can be inferred.

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