Dead, dying. In the year 1800, kicking the bucket was such a major part of everyone's life that people had to get used to it. Commemorate it. Anticipate it. Celebrate it, even. This jewel doesn't have any individual's specific information attached to it, so it wasn't used to memorialize a loved one. Instead, most likely, it was used as a memento mori - a general reminder that we'll all be underground soon.