Before our overnight stay in Harrogate last September I had never heard of jewellery made from human hair bar the lockets and rings with hair mounted in them. I saw my first pieces in the museum up there and weirdly I have encountered yet more on two separate occasions recently. The latest was here as part of Horsham Museum's newest exhibition last weekend. Intriguing.....
Mourning jewellery has been with us since at least the 1600s, but as ever the Victorians took it to a whole new level following Prince Albert's death in 1861. Human hair was woven and then covered in glue to enable it to become rigid. Some designs have it plaited or laid flat under glass. The idea behind it was that it was a way of keeping a part of your loved one with you at all times and keeping their memory alive. Unfortunately, as with any business, there are those who operate without scruples and at times the hair was replaced by some from living people [often bought from the poor or brought in from abroad] or even horsehair as it was easier to manipulate than hair from the deceased. As ever there were ingenious solutions offered to circumnavigate this problem with the publication of DIY guides showing people how they could make their own items. Ultimately this style of remembrance fell out of favour with the introduction of photography which gave those left behind not only the memories, but a precious image of their loved ones. Jewellery incorporating the hair of those we've lost or stones created from their ashes remain a popular choice with some today.
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