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Creepy or beautiful? Unboxing memento mori skull jewellery


Why did people in the past wear skull or skeleton jewellery? Discover the meanings behind some of our more unsettling jewels, 'memento mori', literally meaning 'remember you must die'. 

From a ruby-encrusted skull and crossbones ring, to a silver skull scent-case and a baroque pearl fashioned into an alien-like skull, Curator Ruth has uncovered the spookiest skeletons in our collections, crafted from precious metals and gemstones. Intriguing and unsettling, explore the symbolism behind these tiny keepsakes, often worn on the body, and find out what they reveal about how people thought about death, remembrance and mortality across the centuries.

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