Victorian "IN MEMORY OF" Ring

Dated 1885; Chester, England. This lovely 15KT mourning band features the inscription "IN  MEMORY OF" carved into black enamel. Black enamel also accents the band of the ring. For the Victorians, the seed pearls used in a memorial piece represented tears. The death of Prince Albert was the catalyst for popularizing memorial rings like this one. This ring is approximately a size 7.25 and cannot be sized.