Exceptional hairwork 'balloon' necklace with pendant cross c.1850.
15 carat gold ribbed clasp and fittings.
Immaculate condition,featherlight.
Length 19 inches.
The Victorian Period saw a rise in mourning practices due to its popularity through Queen Victoria, and wearing hair jewelry was seen as a form of carrying one's sentiments for the deceased.
Unlike many other natural materials, human hair does not decay with the passing of time. Hair has chemical qualities that cause it to last for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years. Additionally, by the 19th century many hair artists and wig makers had too little employment after the powdered wigs, often worn by noblemen of the 17th and 18th centuries, went out of fashion. The period of Victorian sentimentality offered these craftsmen a new opportunity to earn their income working with hair.
Early hair jewelry was usually made for the higher classes in cooperation with goldsmiths, producing beautiful and expensive creations of hair mounted in gold and often decorated with pearls or precious stones.