Tear Bottle | Glass replica Tear Catcher

Replica of Roman Tear Bottle, made from Glass. Size 5 Inches, 12.5 cm

A Tear Bottle (sometimes called a lachrymatory) is a small vessel traditionally associated with mourning and remembrance.
Historical Meaning
In ancient times—especially in cultures like:
Ancient Rome
Ancient Greece
Ancient Egypt
People were believed to collect their tears in a small bottle during periods of grief, such as when mourning a loved one who had died or gone away.
These tear bottles were then: Placed in tombs or graves, Kept as memorial objects
Offered as a symbol of love, loss, or repentance. Today, tear bottles are primarily given as sympathy gifts or keepsakes. They are often crafted by glass artists and given to:

• Show sympathy for the loss of a loved one.
• Celebrate a wedding or the birth of a child ("tears of joy").

* Biblical / Spiritual Symbolism
Tear bottles also connect deeply to Scripture, especially:
“You have kept count of my tossings;
put my tears in Your bottle…”
— Book of Psalms 56:8
In Judeo-Christian spirituality, the tear bottle symbolizes:
God remembers human suffering
The sacredness of sorrow
That no tear is wasted or unseen
Modern Use

Modern chemical analysis has shown that most of these ancient vessels actually contained perfumes, oils, or ointments (unguentaria) used to anoint the dead.
Today, tear bottles are used as:
Prayer tools
Grief rituals
Spiritual reminders of healing
Keepsakes during times of repentance or intercession
Some people symbolically “offer” their tears to God by writing prayers and placing them inside.