What is memento mori jewellery?
By Jared James · Last updated 21 May 2026
Definition
Memento mori is a Latin phrase meaning remember that you will die, and memento mori jewellery is worn as a deliberate reminder of mortality and the passage of time. The tradition dates back to antiquity but reached its height in post-Reformation Europe, where rings, pendants and lockets were made featuring skulls, skeletons, coffins, hourglasses and inscriptions urging the wearer to live well and piously. The genre overlaps closely with mourning jewellery, where a piece might be made in memory of a specific person, but memento mori is broader, applying to any piece whose purpose is the contemplation of death.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between memento mori and mourning jewellery?
- Mourning jewellery is made in memory of a particular person who has died, often incorporating their hair, a portrait or their name. Memento mori is the wider category of jewellery that contemplates death generally, as a philosophical reminder to live well, rather than commemorating one individual.
- When was memento mori jewellery most popular?
- The genre was prominent from the 16th through the 19th centuries, with particular intensity during the English Civil War period and again in the Victorian era following the death of Prince Albert in 1861, which launched a long period of public and fashionable mourning.
- Is memento mori jewellery still made today?
- Yes. Contemporary jewellers continue to make pieces with skull motifs, hourglasses and death-related imagery, drawing on both the historic aesthetic and a modern interest in the philosophical tradition. Antique memento mori pieces are also actively collected.
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