Halloween falls on October 31, and Mexico’s Día de los Muertos runs to November 2. Both turn our attention to the dead. Jewelers have been setting skulls in gold and silver for centuries, and the message was never simply fright.
Remember you must die
In 16th-century Europe, skulls and hourglasses became fashionable on jewelry under one motto: memento mori, “remember you must die.” A skull ring was a daily reminder to prepare the soul, and people left these rings to their loved ones in their wills.
A gold ring from 1550–1600, now in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, frames a white enamel skull with the words BE HOLD THE ENDE. Rings like it were also handed out at funerals, so that mourners carried the memory of the dead with them.
Carpe diem
The skull also carried a second message: life is short, so live it now. At Roman banquets, a little skeleton in bronze or silver sometimes appeared on the table as a reminder to enjoy life while it lasts. Horace put it in two words: carpe diem. Or, as the Latin goes, hic et nunc: here and now.
A skull that celebrates: Día de los Muertos
In Mexico, the skull is a festive figure. Día de los Muertos welcomes back loved ones who have died, blending pre-Hispanic rites with Catholic feasts. Since 2008 it has been on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Sugar skulls, often bearing the names of the dead, are placed on the altars. The holiday’s icon is La Catrina. The printmaker José Guadalupe Posada drew her around 1910–1913 as a skull in an elegant hat, mocking people who denied their roots to look European. In 1947 Diego Rivera gave her a body, a fine dress and her name, and placed her at the center of a mural in Mexico City.
Halloween: from Samhain to America
Halloween grew out of Samhain, the Celtic festival that marked the end of summer, when the souls of the dead were believed to return home. According to tradition, some people wore masks so the ghosts would not recognize them. Irish and other immigrants brought the holiday to the United States in the 19th century.
The Jim Skull: born in Greenwich Village
Our story starts in 1959 at C’est Magnifique, the family jewelry shop that became a landmark on MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village. Musicians and actors came looking for pieces with an edge, and the jewelry Madonna wore in Desperately Seeking Susan came from our shop.
Our signature ring was born there too. Alfred Albrizio III’s great-uncle designed it in the late 1970s, but it got its name in the early 1990s. Tattoo artist Jonathan Shaw walked in with Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop and Jim Jarmusch, looking for a ring all four could wear. Jarmusch picked this flat-top skull off the shelf, and from that day it was the Jim Skull. Depp was photographed wearing it constantly, and Iggy Pop put it on the cover of his 2003 album Skull Ring.
Wear the story
A reminder of mortality, a sign of mourning, a celebration of the people we have lost, a rock and roll badge: a skull ring carries all of it. Ours are made entirely by hand.
Every Original Jim Skull is made to order in the USA in nickel-free sterling silver, with the hollow back of the original mold or a solid back if you prefer. It is also available in gold, platinum or palladium, and stones or engraving can be added. Want a message? The NFT Jim Skull carries the words NEVER FEAR TRUTH hand-engraved across the skull.
Each piece is covered by a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects and takes about two to three weeks to make. If you want yours, now is the time to order. Discover the collection.
