Britt’s Pick: Porter Lyons’ Alligator Funeral Ring

By Brittany Siminitz | August 19, 2025

This Porter Lyons jewel may be swimming with an alligator, but it’s so much more than just an exotic reptile ring.

I don’t know about your summer, but mine felt positively plump with gators. Perhaps it was because I spent so much time in Florida, but the beautiful beasts were present in pop culture too.

In May, an alligator named Morris died at the ripe age of 80. His obituary was news because of Morris’ role in the original Happy Gilmore film—a movie that might have been trending itself, as Happy Gilmore 2 would soon debut to the delight of nostalgia-searching millennials.

There also was an episode in the new season of Poker Face where memorable guest star Kumail Nanjiani played an award-winning, alligator-rearing police officer. If you haven’t seen it, let’s just say it sure leaves an impression.

And then, of course, the GQ interview and photo shoot that’s had everyone atwitter: Travis Kelce, clad in a furry Etro trapper hat and wader overalls that might as well be a fashion statement at this point, clutching a baby gator in the middle of a Florida swamp (he was also adorned with a Hublot watch, for those keeping track of their timepieces).

Let’s face it: Anything Taylor Swift does turns into some sort of trend, and perhaps consequently anything her beau does too. So are alligators cool right now? Yes, yes, they are.

Porter Lyons Funeral ring open — *Inspired by Victorian mourning jewelry, Porter Lyons’ funeral ring opens to store a precious memento inside its “coffin.”*

Now about that Porter Lyons ring… It is a “contemporary meditation on life, death, and transformation,” says Ashley Lyons Porter, the brand’s founder. With a family history deeply ingrained in New Orleans, it might not come as a surprise that the designer can find celebration in death (and that she might have a penchant for alligators).

This mechanical creation is form and function, inspired by 19th-century Britain’s funeral rings, which held a deceased loved one’s hair or ashes. Most mourning jewelry we find on the market today is antique, but this new piece might be a sign the Victorian tradition is finding a contemporary angle—even if the ring wearer doesn’t opt to store a literal piece of their loved one inside.

“Each detail is intentional,” Porter explains. “The forget-me-not flowers encircling the casket symbolize remembrance, while the alligator heads, sculpted as skulls, nod to the cycle of decay and rebirth. We shed parts of ourselves every day—identities, beliefs, relationships—and through that loss, we evolve.

“It’s one of my personal favorite rings to wear on my pointer finger,” she adds. “This piece is a celebration of impermanence.”

There is comfort in giving into the idea of impermanence—knowing that everything is in a constant state of flux, and trusting that what will be will be. This ring serves as a beautiful reminder of that, and for those seeking just a little bit more, its casket is perfect for holding a tiny good-luck charm, handwritten scrap, or, yes, a lock of a hair.

Top: Funeral ring in 14k yellow gold with peridot, $6,000; Porter Lyons