A very rare suite of three 18th century American mourning rings: 1759, black enamel, unstamped, tests 18kt. yellow gold, inscribed "Sir Wm./Pepperrell/BART OB/6 JULY 1759/AE 63" ring sz. 7-1/4, 3.0 g; 1775, black enamel, unstamped, tests 18kt. yellow gold, inscribed "Lady E./Pepperell/OB 8 OCT 1775/AE 28" ring sz. 5-1/2, 2.8 g; 1798, black enamel, stamped assayed in London, maker's marks "BS", 18kt. yellow gold, inscribed "Wm. Royall Pepperrell/ESO OB 27 SEP 1798/AE 23", ring sz. 6, 4.2 g  

Provenance: Private New England Collection

Note: In the 18th century, colonial mourning rings were a common way to commemorate the deceased. Typically made of gold, they served as both a personal memento and a status symbol, reflecting the wealth and social standing of the wearer. Mourning rings were typically distributed to close family and friends of the deceased, embodying the period's somber yet elaborate approach to death and remembrance.

This ring, produced upon the death of Sir William Pepperrell was distributed to mourners by the family. The ring is inscribed with his name, "BART" for baronet, "OB for his date of death, and "AE" for his age at death. Pepperrell was a prominent 18th century American colonial merchant and military leader, best known for his role in the successful Siege of Louisbourg during King George's War in 1745. He was the first American-born colonist to earn the status of baronetcy. His success symbolized the growing military and political importance of the American colonies within the British Empire.

As William Pepperrell left no son to carry on the name, he adopted his grandson William Pepperrell Sparhawk, son of Colonel Nathaniel Sparhawk, on the condition that the boy agreed to change his surname to Pepperrell, which he did by an act of the legislature. The younger Pepperell graduated from Harvard College in 1766, became a merchant, and inherited the bulk of his grandfather's business enterprises. He was chosen as a member of the Governor's Council. His wife, Elizabeth Royall Pepperell, died at the age of 28 on October 9, 1775, during the voyage to England and was buried in The Old Burying Ground in Halifax NS as they fled the American Revolution as Loyalists.

Another example of the Sir William Pepperrell ring is held in the collection of the Kittery Naval and Historical Museum in Kittery, Maine.