About Tightly Woven Hair Jewelry

Many examples of hair jewelry in the collection preserve hair under a clear covering, but another common type of hair jewelry is made from the hair itself. Several hair jewelry pieces in the collection are made by tightly weaving or knotting strands of hair to create a slightly flexible band. The band, usually worn around the wrist, is often secured at the ends with a gold clasp of varying designs. Some clasps can be very simple, while others may contain a photograph or even another lock of hair. A variation on the braided band of hair is the mesh-like hair weave that is incorporated into pre-made gold fittings. There are several examples of this type of hair jewelry in the collection, such as two hoop earrings that place the "swatch" of woven hair into the gold framework. In either case of braiding or weaving, the hair was stiffened with gum to retain the shape and control stray hairs.

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