Posted by Cynthia on March 12, 2013, 1:09 pm, in reply to "Re:Mourning jewels"
There used to be degrees of mourning: the colors were dictated by what stage you were in.
I'm not entirely sure of the distinction between black and white jewels in terms of mourning. Purple was considered "half-mourning," so we have amethysts.
I read that Queen Alexandra never wore colored stones again after her eldest son's death. She only wore white jewels.