Ring
Nathaniel Hurd American
Not on view
This ring, decorated with a winged skull, is a type variously known as a funeral, memorial, or burial ring. Marked by the Boston silversmith and engraver Nathaniel Hurd, it served as a memento for family and/or friends of the deceased, a prominent Bostonian named Abigail Waldo, daughter of the Honorable Samuel Welles (or Wells) and wife of the merchant John Waldo. The engraving on its interior, "A Waldo Ob=3 June 1768 Aet 38," indicates Abigail Waldo died on June 3, 1768 at the age of 38. Today gold bands are typically associated with marriage; however, in the eighteenth century, gold rings often were created to honor and remember a deceased loved one.
