Original Civil War Hair Bracelet w/gold fittings (SOLD)

This is another great piece being offered, it is a woven hair bracelet. It has brown woven hair with what appears to be gold fittings, and with a cut glass insert,  measures 6 1/2” long. During the Civil War hair jewelry became very popular, as soldiers left home to join the fight, they would leave a lock of hair with their families.

If the soldier died, the hair was often made into a piece of jewelry or placed in a locket, depending on the skill of the weaver. Women would also fashion pieces of hair jewelry out of their own hair for the soldier to take with him as a constant remembrance.

Hair jewelry was popular not only for its sentimental meaning, but also because it was relatively easy to make. While one could commission a hair artist or jeweler to fashion a piece, leading women’s magazines also included instruction patterns for making brooches, cuff links, and bracelets at home.

Many bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry items were made with a technique called table work, which required a special circular table with a hole in the middle. Hair was first boiled in soda water, dried, and grouped into strands. Those strands were then weighed down with bobbins on the table and woven into three dimensional coils or elaborate braids.

The bracelet is tight and in excellent condition. The expert skill of the weaver is obvious and at one time I am sure this was a treasured piece for someone. It comes in the glass-top display case pictured. This is the ultimate personal item.