λ An ivory mourning ring, possibly American, circa 1789

λ An ivory mourning ring, possibly American, circa 1789, of navette outline, set behind glass with an ivory miniature depicting a shepherdess in a pastoral scene with a basket and crook, to a gold mount with a stippled border and engraved decoration to the shoulders, the reverse with a dedicatory inscription 'Hannah Grey 18 Jan 1789 AEt 51/2', size R, front measuring 3.4 x 1.9cm

Cf.: Diana Scarisbrick, Rings: Jewelry of Power, Love and Loyalty, London 2007, pg. 178 for a ring of similar design set with an ivory miniature, with comparable engraved decoration to the mount, from Baltimore, Maryland, and Martha Gandy Fales, Jewelry in America, 1600-1900, Antique Collectors' Club, 1995, p.149, for a mourning brooch with similar decoration from Philadelphia, circa 1792