From the early seventeenth to the end of the nineteenth century, testators left money in their wills to have rings with commemorative inscriptions made and distributed to their friends and families. Simple bands enamelled with the name and life dates of the deceased were frequently made, sometimes set with a gemstone or a bezel set with a rock crystal covering a symbol such as a coffin or initials in gold wire. In the later 18th century, rings followed neo-classical designs, their oval bezels often decorated with the same designs as funerary monuments such as urns, broken pillars and mourning figures. Hair from the deceased was incorporated into the designs or set in a compartment at the back of the ring to give each jewel a uniquely personal element. Black or white enamel were favoured though white enamel was often, though not universally used to commemorate children and unmarried adults.

Edward, Lord Thurlow, who was described as 'the Moloch of his Profession', died on 6 September 1806. This ring emphasizes his public life as Lord Chancellor and King’s Counsel . It is enamelled with his baron’s coronet and the initial T. The enamel is black, despite the fact that he never married, although he left three natural daughters. Mourning rings were often made in different designs and to varying costs, depending on the closeness of the relationship and the status of the recipient. The V&A ring is relatively plain, whilst a ring in the Royal Collections is similar in design but larger and set with a frame of diamonds around a central panel with the crowned letter T.