Memento Mori Necklace

For more than thirty years, Josephine Bergsøe has worked with small hand-carved skulls in her jewellery.

Memento Mori - remember you must die - is not a dark thought here, but a life-affirming one: a reminder to live beautifully, honestly and wholeheartedly while we are here. Beneath the surface, we are all the same - with dreams, fears, ambitions and rights.

Each piece begins with a skull: a tiny sculpture, chosen for its expression, proportions and material. Josephine works only with exceptional hand-carved skulls in natural materials such as coral, jet, amber, turquoise and mammoth. The finest are rare, and may rest on her table until their individual character reveals the composition they are meant for.

Then begins the dressing: pearls, diamonds and coloured gemstones are placed around the skull by hand, allowing the piece to grow at the bench. There is a quiet provocation in this meeting of the humble and the precious - mortality surrounded by gold, diamonds and pearls.

Every Memento Mori is composed around one particular skull. No two can ever be alike.