Victorian Hairwork Band

A Civil War era Victorian memorial ring crafted in 14k inlaid with a band of tightly braided hair. Likely made as a mourning piece it's also possible this was intended as a love token momento.

The applied oak leaves around the outside symbolize faith, patience, strength and enduring loyalty. The inside has never been engraved or dedicated and there's a blank cartouche in the center meant for the inscribing of a name or initials.

DETAILS: Measures approximately 4.87 mm wide.

SIZE: 9 3/4 scant (a "tight" 9 3/4). Not resizable.

CONDITION: In excellent condition with a gentle antique patina speaking to its dignified age and the affection its original owner must have had for it. Not marked for gold content but acid tests to 14k.

HISTORY: Hair has been used in jewelry for centuries, as a momento of a loved one either living or deceased, as a way of celebrating the emotion and bond felt towards the person in question. In the late 16th century King Christian IV of Denmark gifted his wife with a gold bracelet and love token locket containing a simple braid of his hair; in the mid 17th century rings were secretly worn by faithful followers of Charles I, commemorating his execution in 1648.

By the middle of the 19th century, a thriving cottage industry had grown around the production of hairwork jewelry, made especially popular by Queen Victoria who wore pieces containing the hair of her deceased husband Albert as well as her living children. Catalogues were circulated showing the styles available to order using either hair supplied by the customer or provided by crafters, and it was fashionable for ladies to create their own work using the hair of loved ones. The preparation of the hair was an arduous process in itself, which required boiling and stiffening the hair with a type of wax or gum, before tying it on to a special loom devised for the work with the ends of the strands delicately weighted to make it easier to weave.