Category:Mourning Jewelry
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Hair work, or jewellery made of human hair, was in fashion during most of the 19th century and a few decades into the 20th. It disappeared when short skirts and the bob became stylish around 1925.
There are several reasons why hair work was unbelievably popular for over a century. Human hair does not decay with the passing of time as most other materials. It has chemical qualities that cause it to last for hundreds, yes, thousands, of years. Hair has often played a part in myths and legends. The most well known is the story of Samson who was a member of a military sect, the Nazarites who believed that long hair was the source of strength. For the story look up Judges 13-16 in the Bible. Memorial jewellery was popular in the 16th century. In a Swedish book of proverbs one can read that “rings and bracelets of hair increase love” (Vadstena stads tankebok). In Denmark at Rosensborg’s palace there is a bracelet of precious metal with a simple braided lock of hair, a gift from King Christian IV (1577-1648) to his queen. During the following century it was common with memorial jewellery of hair, for example rings commemorating the executed King Charles I of England that circulated among his faithful supporters.
Another likely cause was the fact that many hair artists and wig makers had too little employment when the powdered wigs often worn my noblemen of the 17th and 18th centuries went out of date. Into an age of romance and sentiment hair jewellery gave these craftsmen a good income. At the start hair jewellery was usually made in cooperation with goldsmiths producing beautiful and expensive creations of hair mounted in gold and perhaps decorated with pearls or precious stones. These were naturally very expensive. Among the many famous persons who owned and cherished hair jewellery we can name Napoleon, Admiral Nelson, Queen Victoria and her large family, Christina Nilsson and Jenny Lind.
Everywhere in Europe there were workshops where these fashionable items were made. Buyers of human hair travelled about in the countryside and purchased hair from poor peasants, or tricked women into having their hair cut in exchange for some scarf, ribbon or pretty trinket. There was still a need for great amounts of hair for braids and switches that women wanted to purchase for their coiffeurs, even though most jewellery was made from a certain person’s, or a dear family member’s hair.
At Mora, Sweden, the peasants were dependent on migrant work or crafts to support the rural economy since the farms were small and poor. We don’t know exactly how it all began, but the women at Våmhus, a village in Mora, learned how to make hair work. It was otherwise a well guarded secret of the wig makers guild. Perhaps a hair buyer or some migrant worker gave them a hint, for in 1824 there were 16 young women from Våmhus who went to Finland, most likely to obtain a wage at a workshop producing hair work. The peasants were controlled by the officials and were not allowed to be away at work for more than 6 months. The following year there were 20 young women who travelled again, now to Germany, Norway and England as well as Finland. In 1826 there were 24 girls who travelled to the above named countries as well as Denmark. Official records do not state what occupation the women worked at but a few years later Våmhus women often travelled as hair workers to most countries in northern Europe. (The means of travel in those days was mainly by foot!) The women might be just teenagers at the first journey and some of them met young men abroad, married and did not return. Others had their fiancés at home in Våmhus and were out earning a sum of money that would help them to set up a household of their own. Later in life if the crops failed, they could again travel as hair workers to make ends meet and avoid famine.
These brave young women made it possible for other groups than the very wealthy to afford hair jewellery. They had no money to buy expensive findings so they mounted the jewellery with wooden beads that they cleverly covered over with hair.
Styles change and it finally became too expensive to travel abroad. Still at the beginning of the 20th century there could be 20 or so hair workers from Våmhus in the large towns of Scandinavia, Stockholm, Oslo, etc. But finally the ageing women just stayed at home doing an occasional piece for someone by mail order. In 1950 there still might come brown envelopes with hair, addressed to the hair worker, Våmhus, since the mail carrier knew where they all lived.
Hair work had died out more than a half century earlier all around Europe, and at Våmhus the locals began to realize what a treasure the knowledge of the trade was. The local historical society introduced classes in hair work and new generations of women learned the art. Våmhus is most likely the only place in the world where hair art has been done continuously for almost 200 years.
In 1994 the Hairworkers Society was founded by the most active hair workers. Together they have done many shows, exhibits and projects. All through the summer there are daily showings of hair work at Våmhus Gammelgård (local museum) and the hair workers can be contacted for showings, lectures on the history of hair work at Våmhus or for making orders of one’s own hair. ________________
Jet is a geological material and is considered to be a minor gemstone. Jet is not considered a true mineral, but rather a mineraloid as it has an organic origin, being derived from decaying wood under extreme pressure.
The English noun "jet" derives from the French word for the same material: jaiet.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary (2nd edition) 1989, Oxford, Oxford University Press</ref> Jet is either black or dark brown, but may contain pyrite inclusions,<ref>Pye, K. (1985) Electron microscope analysis of zoned dolomite rhombs in the Jet Rock Formation (Lower Toarcian) of the Whitby area, U.K., Geological Magazine, volume 122, pp.279-286, Cambridge University Press, Template:Doi</ref> which are of brassy colour and metallic lustre. The adjective "jet-black", meaning as dark a black as possible, derives from this material.
Origin
Jet is a product of high pressure decomposition of wood from millions of years ago, commonly the wood of trees of the family Araucariaceae. Jet is found in two forms, hard and soft. Hard jet is the result of the carbon compression and salt water; soft jet is the result of the carbon compression and fresh water.
The jet found at Whitby, England is of early Jurassic (Toarcian) age, approximately 182 million years old.<ref>Cope, J. C. W. (2006) Jurassic: the returning seas - plate 26 and page 339 of Brenchley, P. J. and Rawson P. F. (editors) (2006) The Geology of England and Wales, 2nd edition, London, The Geological Society</ref><ref>Jurassic timescale Retrieved 2010-06-23</ref>
History
Jet is easily polished and is used in manufacturing jewellery, according to the Whitby Museum, dating from 10,000 BC in parts of Germany. The oldest jet jewellery was found in Asturias, Spain, dating from 17,000 BC. Whitby jet was a favourite material for ornamental jewelllery during the Roman period, when it was described by Solinus. Hair-pins, rings, spindles, bracelets, and necklaces were produced in great variety, much of it at Eburacum (modern York).<ref></ref> In the Roman period it saw use as a 'magical' material, frequently used in amulets and pendants because of its supposed protective qualities and ability to deflect the gaze of the evil eye.<ref>Henig, M., 1984. Religion in Roman Britain. London: BT Batsford LTD</ref> Furthermore, Pliny the Elder suggests that "the kindling of jet drives off snakes and relieves suffocation of the uterus. Its fumes detect attempts to stimulate a disabling illness or a state of virginity." <ref>Pliny the Elder. Natural History (trans. Bostock, J., Riley, H. T.). London: Taylor and Francis. 1855. Chapter 36</ref>
Jet as a gemstone was fashionable during the reign of Queen Victoria, during which the Queen wore Whitby jet as part of her mourning dress. Jet was associated with mourning jewellery in the 19th century because of its sombre colour and modest appearance, and it has been traditionally fashioned into rosaries for monks. In the United States, long necklaces of jet beads were very popular during the Roaring Twenties, when women and young flappers would wear multiple strands of jet beads stretching from the neckline to the waistline. In these necklaces, the jet was strung using heavy cotton thread; small knots were made on either side of each bead to keep the beads spaced evenly, much in the same way that fine pearl necklaces are made. Jet has also been known as black amber, as it may induce an electric charge like that of amber when rubbed.
Properties
Jet is very easy to carve but it is difficult to create detail without breaking so it takes some time for learning and executing more elaborate carving.
Jet has a Mohs hardness ranging between 2.5 to 4 and a specific gravity of 1.30 to 1.34. The refractive index of jet is approximately 1.66. The touch of a red-hot needle should cause jet to emit an odor similar to coal.<ref>Richard T. Liddicoat, Jr. Handbook of Gem Identification 1989 GIA press, 12 ed. pg 192</ref>
Authenticating jet
Although now much less popular than in the past, authentic jet jewels are valued by collectors.
Unlike black glass, which is cool to the touch, jet is not cool, due to its lesser thermal conductivity.
Anthracite (hard coal) and Ebonite (hardened rubber) are superficially similar to fine jet, and have been used to imitate it. These imitations are not always easy to distinguish from real jet. When rubbed against unglazed porcelain, true jet will leave a chocolate brown streak.
The microstructure of jet, which strongly resembles the original wood, can be seen under 120x or greater magnification.
References
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