Hairwork and hair jewellery
Hairwork uses human hair to make jewellery or decorative keepsakes. Necklaces, bracelets and watch chains may be braided from hair, while lockets and pictures can contain arranged locks, flowers or wreaths. This differs from accessories merely worn in the hair.
Love token, remembrance or mourning?
KUBEN documents both jewellery and framed hairwork in its collections. Hair could be given as a love token or preserved after a death. Not every hair jewel can therefore be described as mourning jewellery. A particular owner or occasion requires evidence from the object or its history.
Different materials and makers
The hairwork and metal fittings may have been made by different craftspeople. The museum describes some jewels visiting a goldsmith only to have a clasp or fitting attached. A metal mark must not automatically become a signature for the complete hairwork.
Photograph the braiding, terminals, inscriptions and loose hair. Describe breaks and repairs without pulling fragile sections. Preserve boxes and ownership information, distinguishing inherited assumptions from confirmed facts.
