Jewelry that incorporated hair, be it locks or plaits, was the height of romanticism and sentimentality in the Victorian era. Before affordable portrait photography was developed, carrying a lock of hair was one of the most common ways of keeping the physical memory of a loved one close. Most hair jewelry was made by professional hair-weavers and/or jewelers for memorial purposes, but hair jewelry was also frequently given as a love token. This Victorian bracelet falls into the love token category. The bracelet is composed of exquisitely braided dark hair with engraved gold fittings and clasp, and a padlock locket holding grey hair (presumably from a different individual).
MATERIALS: 14k gold (tests), hair, glass lens
AGE: c. 1850
CONDITION: Very good - padlock once opened but was soldered closed at some point in time
SIZE: 6 3/4" length, 3/8" width of braided hair band