Gold mourning ring, circa 1820

the rectangular bezel inset with a glazed hair locket to open work radiating shoulders, inscribed to the reverse "JM, of my dear friend, The Hon. Mrs Crewe, ob: 14 Jan. 1820", size Q, fitted case.

Mounted in gold. Minor abrasions commensurate with age and wear. Inscribed to the reverse "JM, of my dear friend, The Hon. Mrs Crewe, ob: 14 Jan. 1820".
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Please note that colour, clarity and weight of gemstones are statements of opinion only and not statements of fact by Sotheby's. We do not guarantee, and are not responsible for any certificate from a gemological laboratory that may accompany the property. We do not guarantee that watches are in working order. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue, in particular to the Notice regarding the treatment and condition of gemstones and to the Notice regarding import of Burmese jadeite and rubies into the US.
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The inscription probably refers to Henrietta Crewe, first wife of John Crewe, 2nd Baron Crewe, 1772-1835, an English soldier and a peer. He formed part of the first British embassy to China, and rose to the rank of General. He later became estranged from the majority of his family and spent much of his life in self-imposed exile on the Continent and is best known for a painting of him as a child by Sir Joshua Reynolds in 1775 in a pose and costume mimicking that of the portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger. The portrait is considered among the artist's finest portrayals of children. Horace Walpole commented: "Is not there humour and satire in Sir Joshua's reducing Holbein's swaggering and colossal haughtiness of Henry VIII to the boyish jollity of Master Crewe?"

On 5 May 1807, he married Henrietta Maria Anna Walker-Hungerford, daughter of George Walker of Studleighhouse, near Calne in Wiltshire, heiress to a substantial fortune derived from Barbados sugar plantations. The couple had four children, three daughters, Henrietta Mary, Maria Hungerford, Annabella Hungerford, and a son, Hungerford.

The marriage was not a happy one and Crewe contracted a second bigamous marriage in 1820, which was carried out at the chapel at the family seat of Crewe Hall and officiated over by a billiard-maker, resulting in an illegitimate daughter.

Henrietta Crewe died in 1820, aged 48. The couple's three surviving children, became wards of court, and lived with Lord Crewe at Crewe Hall.