Victorian Hair Jewellery
Victorian hair jewellery holds the memories of the nineteenth century within strands of real human hair set into gold, silver, and glass.
Victorian Hair Jewellery
Victorian hair jewellery comprises rings, lockets, pendants, brooches, and hair accessories created during the nineteenth century to commemorate relationships or mourn the deceased. These pieces incorporate actual human hair arranged beneath glass or worked directly into open frames.
Buyers browsing this selection will most frequently encounter rings, lockets, and brooches dating from the Victorian period, alongside occasional Edwardian and turn-of-the-century hair slides. Gold and silver predominate among the metalwork, paired with stones such as paste and purple glass.
How they were made
Craftsmen shaped these items using precious metals including 15ct gold, 18ct gold, and sterling silver alongside tortoiseshell. Metal components were formed into engine-turned lockets, rings, and frames designed to secure delicate organic materials.
Human hair served as the primary decorative medium, plaited or laid flat beneath glass panels. Additional ornamentation relied on old cut paste stones, enamel work, and glass to complete the memorial designs.
Listings feature periods spanning the Victorian era, early Victorian times, the Edwardian period, and the year 1900.
What varies in quality
Design ambition also distinguishes the range, moving from plain memorial bands to convertible items like starburst tiaras that transform into pendants. The precision of the stone setting, whether using paste or glass, further defines the standard of execution.
The Victorian Hair Jewellery Glossary
- Mourning ring
- A finger ring created to remember a deceased person, frequently incorporating hair work, enamel, or glass. These pieces often bear inscriptions recording dates and names.
- Engine-turned
- A decorative technique involving precise geometric patterns mechanically engraved into metal surfaces. This method adds texture to gold lockets and pendants.
- Open locket
- A locket designed with a transparent compartment to display hair work directly without a solid inner cover. This allows the intricate plaiting to remain visible from the exterior.
Victorian Hair Jewellery: Frequently Asked Questions
How was human hair used in these pieces?
Hair was finely plaited, woven, or laid in flat patterns beneath glass covers in rings, brooches, and lockets.
Sometimes artisans worked the hair into elaborate pictorial motifs or secured it within open gold and silver frames.
What metals are found in this jewellery?
Maker materials typically include 15ct gold, 18ct gold, and sterling silver for the structural mounts.
Tortoiseshell and base metals also appear in specific hair accessories and combs from the period.
Are these pieces strictly for mourning?
While many items served as mourning jewellery to remember those who passed away, others celebrated living relationships and marriages.
Tokens of affection utilised hair from living family members and friends as well as memorial tributes.