Circa 1850 Hair Bracelet With Elaborate Gold Work.

Peggy McClard Antiques

Americana & Folk Art

Back to Sentimental & Mourning Jewelry

	Mourning jewelry was popular by the 17th century used to memorialize the death of loved ones. Queen Victoria began her reign as a romantic, passionate young woman who loved jewelry and promoted the wearing of it by commissioning jewelers to design and make her pieces based on the latest fashions. In 1861, the forty-two year old queen was devastated by the death of her mother and then her beloved husband, Prince Albert. Queen Victoria remained in mourning for the rest of her life but found an outlet for her pain by commissioning mourning jewelry in memory of her late husband. The rest of the world followed suit by seeking out and commissioning mourning jewelry to memorialize their lost loved ones. Hair jewelry became popular as both memorials for the dead and sentimental jewelry representing love, friendship or remembrance. Both men and women wore portraits of their spouse or betrothed, backed by the loved one's hair. Men, especially, wore bracelets woven from their loved one's hair and ended with gold clasps bearing ornamented hair. Women wore portrait bracelets made of either hair or beads and pearls. A cottage industry was born in both England and America in which jewelers hired women and young girls to weave hair into bracelets and necklaces and work elaborate hair designs for brooches and bracelet clasps. This bracelet measures 9 1/2" from end to end when clasped together. The gold clasp is beautifully ornamented and the compartment contains an elaborate Prince of Wales hair design as well as clipped hair formed into a flower and leaves. The hair is further ornamented by gold filigree and a single pearl. The hair is in perfect condition as is the rest of the bracelet. I have no way to test for gold, but I believe this to be real gold....it is definitely not gold plated. Even with the large size, I have worn this beautiful bracelet on the outside of a bulky winter sweater for a wonderful look! These larger bracelets were worn above the wrist, over dress sleeves as seen in the portrait of "The Navigator's Wife" below. This lovely portrait and caption was scanned from the seminal book Jewelry in America 1600 - 1900, by Martha Gandy Fales on page 249. The portrait resides in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center in Williamsburg, VA. (#3188) $850


Scanned from Jewelry in America 1600-1900, by Martha Gandy Fales, page 249. "The Navigator's Wife" resides in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum Top