Hairwork Jewellery
Hairwork Jewellery is jewellery incorporating human hair, either woven, braided, plaited or arranged into decorative designs. It was particularly fashionable during the nineteenth century and became an important form of sentimental and mourning jewellery.
Human hair was valued as a personal keepsake because it remained physically connected to the individual from whom it came. Hair could therefore be incorporated into a jewel as a private reminder of a loved one, whether living or deceased.
Hairwork was used in bracelets, necklaces, brooches, rings, watch chains, lockets and other jewellery. It could be intricately woven into elaborate patterns or enclosed beneath glass or within a locket. Some examples combine hairwork with gold, seed pearls, enamel, gemstones or miniature portraits.
Hairwork jewellery became particularly associated with Victorian mourning customs, although it was not exclusively mourning jewellery. Hair could also be exchanged between friends, family members or lovers as a sentimental keepsake.
The condition of hairwork is particularly important because the material is organic and can deteriorate through age, moisture, handling and inappropriate storage.
At Weldons, antique hairwork jewellery is appreciated for its craftsmanship, rarity and highly personal historical significance.
Period: Particularly 19th century
Typical materials: Human hair, gold, seed pearls, enamel and gemstones
Typical forms: Bracelets, brooches, rings, lockets and necklaces
Characteristic feature: Hair incorporated as a personal keepsake or decorative element
