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Collector’s Encyclopedia
of Hairwork Jewelry by C. Jeanenne Bell, G.G. You may be squeamish about the idea of hair being made into jewelry, however, it is a part of our human history and you will be surprised at the intricate work created using human hair. I have always been curious as to how the hair was worked to make the complex braids back in the mid 1800’s. Jeanenne explains these methods through illustrations and narrative. The techniques are much Kumihimo braids and bobbin lace techniques of today. Some of the hair is worked in as beads and set rigid in shape. Some of the hair worked jewelry has complex patterns and others are very basic. There are step-by-step illustrations, with instructions for making a bracelet as an example. There are 48 pages of instructions and patterns to make a variety of braids using hair. What makes the piece valuable is discussed along with several photo examples. Hairwork was used to create brooches, necklaces, bracelets, crosses, beads, earrings, rings, chatelaines, stickpins, buttons, cuff links, tiaras and watch chains. Many of these items incorporated precious and semi precious gem, plus precious metals such as gold to create luxurious jewelry. There are hundreds of color images of hairwork jewelry along with descriptions and their value. There are also many black and white pages with illustrations of jewelry of the past. It is difficult to imagine the diversity of hairwork designs until you see it. Before my mother died, she gave me some locks of her hair from when she was a child. They are red and curly, very auburn and lovely. This little gift spurred my imagination and my search to learn more about hairwork. Someday I would like to make a hairwork piece using my mother’s hair so I can hand it down to the next generations in my family. You never know what will interest you until it presents itself. Review by Lydia F Borin |
