Elizabeth Ropes Orne, like many well-heeled young women in the  19th century, liked to acknowledge the important relationships in her life with the intimate gesture of gifting a friendship ring. Some of these friendship rings came with personal engravings: Elizabeth gave a ring to someone, probably her girlhood friend Sarah Stone, inscribed ERO to S. Stone. Someone gave one to Elizabeth inscribed AMB to ERO. Elizabeth died of tuberculosis at the age of 24, in 1842, but her rings were passed down in her family, to eventually live on and tell her story as a part of the PEM collection.

Now, relationships of all kinds can be celebrated with high-quality reproductions of these Victorian-style rings at the PEM Shop, thanks to a unique collaboration between the museum and Salem’s Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry. It all seems so fitting since these rings were first created, around 1826, by a Salem jeweler on Essex Street. 

“With the family’s personal objects and the documentation, It gives you a real picture of a person from the past,” said Paula Richter, Curator-at-Large. “It’s PEM’s time capsule. What did they buy? Who did they buy it from, in Boston, in Salem?” 

Today, PEM stewards hundreds of objects from this one family. The mansion’s rooms witnessed birth, death, friendship, celebration and mourning — all of which left a legacy in the objects the family kept and displayed. Almost every generation renovated the home to the style of the times (the bathrooms on all three floors were evidently the envy of the neighbors). Today, visitors can freely circulate throughout 15 rooms of the home, exploring the property at their own pace. Elizabeth’s undisturbed bedroom holds her seashell collection, her desk and her bookshelf, which contained the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Sir Walter Scott and the poetry of Robert Burns. 

“I’m so happy to be the maker who gets to bring these stories to life,” said Jenni Stuart, showing me the reproduced rings in her shop. Stuart is known for restoration work and loves refurbishing customers’ grandmothers’ jewelry, so taking on a challenge so connected to Salem history was right up her alley. This included a visit to the Ropes Mansion, studying the original jewelry, meeting with PEM curators and teasing out the essence of these 19th-century rings. There are two rings being reproduced from the Ropes collection; one with a split band features a leaf motif. The first attempt produced a modern-looking brilliant cut, which turned out “too sparkly” says Stuart, who opted for a vintage cut.

“Too sparkly” would not be in line with the taste of the Ropes family, says Richter. “Their taste was often understated. All of the household furnishings, belongings that they lived with, they were not flamboyant. They chose very high quality things, but they weren’t flashy. There was a love of quality, but a kind of restraint at the same time.” 

Finding inspiration in museum collections and bringing those objects to life through reproductions has been a big part of PEM Merchandising Director Victor Oliveira’s career in museum shops across New England. “What’s special here is that this very fine reproduction is something you don’t often see in a museum store,” said Oliveira. “On top of that, Stuart is a local Salem maker whose craftsmanship and creativity are exceptional.” When Oliveira saw the prototypes for the new rings, he was more than pleased. “I actually gasped,” he said. “They were so detailed and true to the original design. Her talent is remarkable and she absolutely crushed the challenge.”

Using PEM’s platform to highlight local talent is one of the most meaningful parts of this work, said Oliveira, who is also working with another local jewelry designer, Jade Gedeon of  We Dream in Colour, in an earring collaboration around the current fashion exhibition  Andrew Gn: Fashioning the World. “It’s a wonderful exchange. Our history and collections inspire new art, and their artistry brings fresh relevance to our mission,” he said.

The rings are made in sterling and diamonds with delicate freshwater pearls, for sale for $380 at PEM and custom-priced in solid gold at Stuart’s shop. Stuart believes in ethical sourcing: These rings are made with 100% recycled metals and diamonds from Canadian mines, known for their environmental and human rights standards.

The first custom rings to be produced raised funds as part of an auction at the annual PEM Gala on November 8. There are possibly more designs on the way — Stuart can imagine making pendants and rings inspired by more pieces in the Ropes jewelry collection, which includes Victorian mourning jewelry. “But the friendship rings seemed like such a good place to start,” she said, partly because of the trend of mother-daughter and ladies' trips to Salem. “Because so many people come to Salem on a group trip. You’re with sisters, or friends, or a bachelorette party,” she said. “The friendship rings speak to a lot of the people we meet when they’re here.”

Rings have been imbued with meaning going back to ancient times, points out Richter, offering the significance of papal rings, coronations, King Arthur and The Lord of the Rings. Her research for the project included an 1855 book by Charles Edwards called The History and Poetry of Finger-rings, which provides insight on how jewelry was studied and understood in the mid-19th century.  

Traditionally, matching rings or exchanged rings symbolize marriage, of course, but Oliveira says he loves the idea of celebrating friendship. “Platonic relationships can be just as meaningful, and often last even longer. These rings honor that kind of enduring bond. Why not tie the knot with a friend? It’s like turning Valentine’s Day into Galentine’s Day. I’m all for opening up traditions and being inclusive of all kinds of relationships.”

When asked about new stories she might help tell, Stuart giddily shares news that she’s purchasing a new laser engraver. She can engrave secret messages on the new rings, whether purchased at her store or at the PEM Shop. When asked what she would most love to engrave on one of these rings, she said, “I love when you find a vintage piece that has an inscription and you have no idea what it means. If I were here visiting Salem with my friends and we got these, it would absolutely be an inside joke that no one else would get.”

The Ropes friendship rings can be found in the PEM Shop, in the PEM Shop holiday catalog and at Jenni Stuart Fine Jewelry. Read a version of this story in the December issue of Northshore Magazine and make plans to visit the Ropes jewelry collection when the Ropes Mansion reopens for seasonal self-guided tours next spring.