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. By the end of the 19th century, memorial ring designs were becoming more standardised. The hoops were often inscribed with phrases such as 'In memory' whilst a commemorative inscription could be added to the inside of the hoop. The custom of giving rings as memorials gradually declined in the early 20th century, although the Goldsmiths Journal suggests that some were still being sold in the 1930s.

This is an unusually decorative ring, set with a softly coloured miniature of a mourning woman seated by a funerary urn which bears the initials IH. It was made to commemorate Isaac Hitchin, who died aged 71, on the 14 January 1796. He wrote his will in March 1794, requesting that his funeral 'be very plain and not pompous at all'. He left his house on Gerrard Street, London, his gold watch and household furnishings to his wife Ann and after her to their daughter Ann. Further bequests were made to their sons John, Abraham and Isaac, including the 'utensils of his trade' which were left to John. Ann received his harpsichord and each child was given an 'old Bible with their names written in by me'. There is no specific mention of mourning rings.