Antique hair jewelry is very collectible, especially Victorian hair jewelry which is beautifully intricate. Hair has often been used as a sentimental token. Lovers about to be parted would exchange locks of hair which were then worn in a locket and many mothers have saved a lock from their child's first hair cut. During the Victorian era, hair jewelry was taken to new levels and the highly detailed antique hair jewelry from this period is popular with antique jewelry collectors.
Origins of Antique Hair Jewelry
Hair art has its roots in Scandinavian countries where it can still be found today. In Sweden, tough economic conditions and cold weather turned many people to crafts in order to survive. The village of Vamhus began hair plaiting and the craft of making hair jewelry slowly spread through Europe.
It also caught on in the United States during the Civil War. Before soldiers left for war, they would leave a lock of hair for their families. If the soldier died, the lock of hair was made into a piece of mourning jewelry.
Hair Jewelry as 'Mourning Jewelry'
Hair jewelry was a form of 'mourning jewelry', worn as a souvenir to remember a loved one. Before the invention of photography, hair jewelry was one of the main ways people could have a personal memento of their loved one.
From the 1830s, a mania for pieces actually made primarily of hair began. In other cases, the deceased person's hair was dried out, ground up and mixed with water to create an ink. This would then be used to write inscriptions and paint sad scenes on an enamel ring or pendant.
Victorian Hair Jewelry
The trend for hair jewelry really kicked off during Victorian times. Specialist jewelers could fashion the hair of the deceased into an intricate design which was then mounted onto a piece of jewelry. "Hair art" designs were usually done on a piece of mother-of-pearl and then set under a glass domed covering. Broaches, necklace pendants and rings were the most common forms of hair jewelry.
Making hair jewelry at home was also a popular drawing room occupation for the Victorians, and women sat around for hours trying to master the craft. They learned to create intricate landscape scenes, delicate weaves and flower designs.
Most Victorian women had a 'hair collector' on their dressing table. After brushing their hair, the comb would be cleaned and stray hairs collected in a decorative porcelain pot. It was then used for practice.
