Over the last twenty years my work has been influenced by Victorian mourning jewelry. This jewelry was created during the Victorian Era to memorialize the dead. Materials used were often chosen for reasons other than their monetary value. Some materials were used because of their natural dark color, reflecting the somber pallet of mourning dress. Yet, other materials held profound personal significance to the wearer, such as the delicate woven patterns of jewelry made from the human hair of a loved one. 

The Contemporary Mourning Brooch Series commemorates the profound loss of life from the Covid-19 pandemic. These brooches recontextualize Victorian hair jewelry through the use of CAD/CAM technology. I recreate and then distort traditional woven hair patterns. This produces new forms that both reflect their Victorian origin, but are clearly the product of computer technology. The result is no longer about personal individual loss, but embraces the collective mourning that we are experiencing as a society.