The Forget-Me-Not Flower Mourning Charm

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message ‘He is Dead’.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

- W.H. Auden, Funeral Blues 

Love and Loss: How Grief Changes You and Your World

Have you ever lost someone very dear to you? When I first read Auden's poem, it took me back to several moments in my life when I lost someone close.  As Auden describes, in many ways time stops - or at least you wish it would - and everything is cast in a dismal hue. Open, honest and not sugar-coated: losing a loved one can leave you raw and grief-stricken. 

And yet - and yet! Amidst the harsher words are these: "He was my North, my South, my East, and West, My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song." I dare say there are few other poetic lines that capture everlasting love quite this beautifully. 

When designing the new forget-me-not flower charm, I knew I needed an ode to this poem on the back. It felt only fitting, particularly when the words sit closest to the heart as you wear it. Cascading down in a flowing ribbon are the tiny words: "my North, my South, my East, my West."

The Forget-Me-Not Flower Charm: A Nod to Antique Mourning Jewelry

I'm a big fan of Victorian jewelry, and as any Victorian lover knows, jewelry of that era had two big hallmarks: symbolism around love and loss, and enamel. It felt only right to combine both elements in this new piece, to make it as meaningful as possible for someone who is walking the path of grief. 

On the front of this charm is a tiny, intricate, hand engraved forget-me-not flower, a long-held symbol of everlasting love. Historically, lovers would give each other sentimental jewelry and art with forget-me-nots when apart, and the flower was often found in mourning art and jewelry for the same reasons. 

The flower is suspended in beautiful glass enamel which you can get in a wide variety of enamel colors for your own piece. The example you see in the listing is a stunning baby blue color, matched to the blue you find in the natural flower.

Modern Mourning: No Skulls or Urns, Just Beauty

While I do love some of the symbols typically associated with mourning jewelry, I also believe mourning pieces can be brought into the modern age with subtle, yet powerful, symbolism and vivid colors.  The flower and poetic words of this piece will give you so much strength and healing day-by-day, and the ability to choose your own enamel color allows you to craft a piece that will be a wardrobe staple. It's the type of piece which can hold your story close without revealing it to the world.

Made by Hand in Philadelphia, PA

From the glass enamel done by Joan, to the hand engraving done by Lisa, this charm has many artisans which bring it to life. Each and every step along the way is done in Philadelphia, PA, using recycled metals.  The result is an heirloom piece which you'll pass on to future generations.

Come visit the forget-me-not charm in the shop today.