Expressing Love and Grief: Mourning and Sentimental Jewelry with Sarah Nehama, Studio Jeweler & Collector

Episode 57

What you’ll learn in this episode:

  • Defining “sentimental” jewelry—including pieces that honor relationships between lovers as well as family relationships.
  • What lover’s eye jewelry is, and how it became fashionable in the 18th century.
  • The different styles of mourning jewelry.
  • Sarah’s process for making jewelry and how her interest in mourning and sentimental jewelry influences it.
  • How to use modern genealogical tools and historical records to uncover the history of a piece of mourning jewelry.

About Sarah Nehama:

Sarah Nehama has been creating one-of-a-kind, fine jewelry for the past 25 years and has a studio in the Providence, Rhode Island, area. She also collects antique mourning and sentimental jewelry, co-curated an exhibit on mourning jewelry and art with Massachusetts Historical Society and authored a book on the subject. Sarah has lectured at numerous museums and historical societies both in the United States and abroad and has presented to American Society of Appraisers on mourning and sentimental jewelry.

Additional resources:

Episode Transcript

Sharon Berman