Hair mourning jewelry

[viridescence]

I find the concept of making something wearable out of hair, especially to honor the dead, really interesting. In Victorian times, hair jewelry in general was very fashionable (not just as mourning jewelry). I found this quote from the women's magazine Godey's Lady's Book, circa 1850, about hair jewelry:

Hair is at once the most delicate and last of our materials and survives us like love. It is so light, so gentle, so escaping from the idea of death, that, with a lock of hair belonging to a child or friend we may almost look up to heaven and compare notes with angelic nature, may almost say, I have a piece of thee here, not unworthy of thy being now.

What other part of the body could one craft with and keep forever, but hair?

Does anyone collect hair jewelry or perhaps even have some passed down through the family? I wonder when and why it became unfashionable. I have seen it for sale in antique shops before.

[Guest]

I find the concept of making something wearable out of hair, especially to honor the dead, really interesting. In Victorian times, hair jewelry in general was very fashionable (not just as mourning jewelry). I found this quote from the women's magazine Godey's Lady's Book, circa 1850, about hair jewelry:

Hair is at once the most delicate and last of our materials and survives us like love. It is so light, so gentle, so escaping from the idea of death, that, with a lock of hair belonging to a child or friend we may almost look up to heaven and compare notes with angelic nature, may almost say, I have a piece of thee here, not unworthy of thy being now.

What other part of the body could one craft with and keep forever, but hair?

Does anyone collect hair jewelry or perhaps even have some passed down through the family? I wonder when and why it became unfashionable. I have seen it for sale in antique shops before.

This is the first I have ever heard of it, but if it came down to I would definatly wear a peice close to the heart.

[DietCokeofEvil]

You can get ashes formed into a diamond

http://www.lifegem.com/

[Littleroben]

How awful would it be if you had a diamond made and then lost the jewellery!

[viridescence]

You can get ashes formed into a diamond

http://www.lifegem.com/

I think this is pretty cool as well, but it's not as...I don't know what the right word for it is...tangible, as hair jewelry? A lot of the hair jewelry that I've seen is more obvious, but with the lifegem nobody would know unless you told them. I guess it all depends on whether that matters to you.

I carry some of the cremains (I quit using the word ashes because once you've seen them, that they don't look anything like ashes) of my cat in a small vial on a chain around my neck. I've only gotten one person ask about it and she joked "Is it blood like Angelina and Billy Bob?" She ended up feeling pretty bad when I told her it was some of the remains of my cat who had died just a few months earlier...

[katspjs]

I find the concept of making something wearable out of hair, especially to honor the dead, really interesting. In Victorian times, hair jewelry in general was very fashionable (not just as mourning jewelry). I found this quote from the women's magazine Godey's Lady's Book, circa 1850, about hair jewelry:

Hair is at once the most delicate and last of our materials and survives us like love. It is so light, so gentle, so escaping from the idea of death, that, with a lock of hair belonging to a child or friend we may almost look up to heaven and compare notes with angelic nature, may almost say, I have a piece of thee here, not unworthy of thy being now.

What other part of the body could one craft with and keep forever, but hair?

Does anyone collect hair jewelry or perhaps even have some passed down through the family? I wonder when and why it became unfashionable. I have seen it for sale in antique shops before.

My mom has acquired several pieces on her many thrift shop/antique shop excursions (amazing what people will just get rid of) and they are fascinating. The intricacy of the hair weaving is unbelievable. She has a cool one with a small cameo type actual photo in the center of a young girl. The Victorians were huge into this but they might not be the only ones. In New Orleans (pre-Katrina) there was a great museum by Jackson Square which contained Napoleon's death mask and an entire mourning jewelry display. Hope it is still there, as it was so interesting.

[ST Moron]

How awful would it be if you had a diamond made and then lost the jewellery!

I thought the exact same thing when I read Scott's acount of how he had a "shaer of Laer" as part of his keychain.

I think what he did was cool (after all, Laer now "tags along" wherever Scott goes, right?), but in my own case, I'd be so paranoid about losing the keychain that I'd prolly never leave the house again. @_@

(Of course, the upside is that I don't think any bad guy in his right mind is going to want to mess with a keychain with human cremains in it. I'd like to think that most people would agree that it is Not Sound Policy to go around pissing off dead people.)

[ST Moron]

I think this is pretty cool as well, but it's not as...I don't know what the right word for it is...tangible, as hair jewelry?

"Intimate," perhaps.

(Sorry, I just had to give a try.)

[hell0kitty]

hiya, i did have the presence of mind to clip a lock of both my parents' hair when they passed away. its full of their own dna, yes its a wonderful way of remembering someone in a very realistic way. now if only people would stand still enuff to let you clip a piece eh!?

[viridescence]

My mom has acquired several pieces on her many thrift shop/antique shop excursions (amazing what people will just get rid of) and they are fascinating. The intricacy of the hair weaving is unbelievable. She has a cool one with a small cameo type actual photo in the center of a young girl. The Victorians were huge into this but they might not be the only ones. In New Orleans (pre-Katrina) there was a great museum by Jackson Square which contained Napoleon's death mask and an entire mourning jewelry display. Hope it is still there, as it was so interesting.

That's really cool, but it's also sad...I mean, someone put a lot of time, effort and love into those pieces and surely they never imagined that a stranger would be buying them. I'd like to acquire some myself, though.

Or maybe I'll start snipping hair from relatives now and learn how to make it myself.

[viridescence]

"Intimate," perhaps.

(Sorry, I just had to give a try.)

I think that's as good a word for it as any. Thanks!

[ST Moron]

now if only people would stand still enuff to let you clip a piece eh!?

Perhaps a "Flowbee" would help?

(w/a pair of Ninja shoes.)

[katspjs]

That's really cool, but it's also sad...I mean, someone put a lot of time, effort and love into those pieces and surely they never imagined that a stranger would be buying them. I'd like to acquire some myself, though.

Or maybe I'll start snipping hair from relatives now and learn how to make it myself.

My mom has been looking to sell the last of the ones she has. She lost my dad recently and says she no longer wants any reminders of any kind of death.

[attackatdawn]

Never heard about it before but I think it is kind of a neat idea here is a virtual exhibit of hair mourning jewelry http://www.historic-northampton.org/601081/601508/800/

[cleanskull]

This just would not work for me.I doubt I have enough for even a pinkie ring.Unless you use my whiskers.Cleanskull cause my skulls clean.

[BeeCee]

My grandmother wore long hair for years and when she eventually decided to cut it, she had a watch fob made for my grandfather out of part of it. It was very unusual, lots of detail and I was kind of fascinated by the entire concept. My mom kept it after she died and my sister and I more or less share custody of it now. It will no doubt end up with a younger relative one day. I once would have thought it was sad but now I think oh well, just another material thing - not worth a hill of beans when you think of the loss of the person. At any rate - I don't think my grandmother is worrying too much about its final destination.

[firegilnotguns]

I opened up this make up box that my mom gave me when I was young that belonged to her great-grandmother, and inside was a huge braid of hair that had been cut from the great-grandmother's head (before she died though, I believe.) It always creeped me out but I'm sure it's still there in that box in one of my parents' closets...

[firegilnotguns]

Perhaps a "Flowbee" would help?

(w/a pair of Ninja shoes.)

Hahahaha...strangely, this is the third time the "flowbee" has come up in conversation with me recently...perhaps it's fate telling me to try it out!

[Ghoulie Girl]

Perhaps a "Flowbee" would help?

(w/a pair of Ninja shoes.)

Now THAT is funny!

[magblax]

Never heard about it before but I think it is kind of a neat idea here is a virtual exhibit of hair mourning jewelry http://www.historic-northampton.org/601081/601508/800/

Thanks for the link! I had no idea. GREAT concept! It would be interesting to reintroduce the tradition.

[Bake]

Thanks for the link! I had no idea. GREAT concept! It would be interesting to reintroduce the tradition.

I agree. I have seen "lockets" that are made to wear with your loved one's ashes in them. I would do that too.

[magblax]

I agree. I have seen "lockets" that are made to wear with your loved one's ashes in them. I would do that too.

Thay did this with some of my dad's ashes.. I passed because with my luck I would have ended up with god knows what...

[sheri]

I thought the exact same thing when I read Scott's acount of how he had a "shaer of Laer" as part of his keychain.

I think what he did was cool (after all, Laer now "tags along" wherever Scott goes, right?), but in my own case, I'd be so paranoid about losing the keychain that I'd prolly never leave the house again. @_@

(Of course, the upside is that I don't think any bad guy in his right mind is going to want to mess with a keychain with human cremains in it. I'd like to think that most people would agree that it is Not Sound Policy to go around pissing off dead people.)

I thought the same thing when I read Scott's page about Laer. I still think it is very cool that Scott has honored his friend like that. Definitely different, but, Laer sounds like he was a cat of a different color.

[jason22]

I thought the same thing when I read Scott's page about Laer. I still think it is very cool that Scott has honored his friend like that. Definitely different, but, Laer sounds like he was a cat of a different color.

nice to Scott