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Yorkshire coastline, where
Whitby is located. Famed
for its deep, intense black Agate/gold/enamel
color and the lustrous shine mourning brooch
that can be achieved by featuring glassed lock of hair
polishing it. It is also very inscribed: Edith M. Beaufort
from J. S. Cann Lippincott,
light in weight making it c.1880. Beaufort studied the
perfect for jewelry. occult with The Order of the
Bereaved commoners Golden Dawn, while J.S.
soon followed suit. Some belonged to Gloucestershire’s
exchanged bright pearls for historic Lippincott Baronetcy
strands of dark, hair- of Stoke Bishop, 1⅞’ x 1 ⅜”,
wrapped or Whitby jet 20.5 gm., with its original
beads. Some wore delicate presentation box.
jet brooches or bore photo: www.rubylane.com
bracelets a-dangle with
heavy hair work crosses.
Others accessorized their of comfort like “In Memoriam,” “Forever Loved,” or “Momma and
full, second, and half- Poppa.” “Yet those personalized with initials or names of the deceased,"
mourning apparel with explains Madeline Celletti owner at Bohemian Boutique based in
Victorian Hairwork crosses, $265/$225, brooches featuring designs Georgetown MA, “are far more desirable.”
brooch from private collection.
fashioned from locks of the Yet those illuminating known loves and lives, like the agate, gold,
photo: Madeline Celletti, Bohemian Boutique
dear departed. and enamel glassed beauty inscribed “Edith M. Beaufort from J. S.
Cann Lippincott,” are prized by collectors, genealogists, and historians
Refining the Craft
alike. Research has revealed that Beaufort studied the occult with The
Though these were processed in a variety of ways, braided or woven Order of the Golden Dawn, while J.S. belonged to Gloucestershire
patterns were most popular. To create them, swaths of perfectly England’s historic Lippincott Baronetcy of Stoke Bishop!
straight, combed hair were boiled in soda water, sorted into appropriate
lengths, then divided into remarkably slender bundles. These were Getting Creative
positioned on special tables fitted with tiny weights and bobbins which,
when manipulated, worked them into braids and patterns. After By the mid-1800s, interest in hair work mourning jewelry was also
coaxing these round ready-made molds, boiling, and drying, they were sweeping America. Indeed, notes Godey’s Magazine and Lady’s Book, the
unmolded. Then they were sent to jewelers for mounting in oval or most popular women’s magazine of the day, “Hair is at once the most
round decorative cases. Some were simple hair-holding containers delicate and last of our materials and survives us like love, It is so light,
featuring removable tops. Others, like cases, featured more durable, so gentle, so escaping from the idea of death, that, with a lock of hair
glassed-in locks. belonging to a child or friend we may almost look up to heaven and
Palette-work, another hair compare notes with angelic nature, may almost say, I have a piece of
work technique, was created thee here.” Hair, like love, outlasts the grave.
by stiffening strands with egg- In response to its popularity, Godey’s not only published material
white, carefully combing them promoting hair work but also offered instructions, printed
in one direction then gluing patterns, and starter kits for do-it-yourself mourning creations.
them to a flat surface. When In addition to locks from the deceased, crafters needed tweezers,
dried, these were cut into sharp penknives, delicate scissors, pencils, long pins,
exceedingly small segments, background palettes, thread, and ‘gum dragon’
formed into delicate textured adhesive. Frames and lockets were available
patterns, then mounted in jew- commercially.
elry casings. Other strands During the Civil War, as Yanks and
were fanned into fashionable, Rebs set out for battle, many left bits of
feathery “Prince of Wales” hair behind with loved ones. Should
designs or curled like the one Gold-scrolled enameled mourning they lose their lives, they reasoned,
inscribed “In Memory Of R. brooch/pendant featuring woven these poignant mementos of shared
Burton Sept. 2, 1855 and E. hair inscribed: In Memory Of affection could be incorporated into
Burton Oct. 27, 1865 husband R. Burton Sept.2,1855 and E. brooches, rings, or lockets worn close
and wife.” Burton Oct.27,1865 husband and to the heart. After all, what was more
“Sepia” mourning pieces wife, 2” x 1.⅝”. photo: www.rubylane.com moving than a part of oneself?
were created by chopping, In later years, photography became
snipping, or grinding bits of hair until completely pulverized into increasingly accessible, and mourning
powder. This was mixed with sepia, brown ink derived from cuttlefish. jewelry often featured swaths of hair
Then artists used this curious concoction to paint miniature mourning backed by images of the deceased.
scenes of funeral urns, weeping willows, or grief-stricken widows In time, these pieces fell from
leaning against tombs on palette-worked grounds. Some featured Victorian gold pinchbeck fashion entirely.
Prince-of-Wales hair plumes on their reverse. (brass/copper/zinc) glassed, Those interested in exploring this
Most people chose hair work mourning designs from catalogs, pictorial swivel mourning historic art may find Campbell’s Self-
then had them created by professional hair workers contracted by locket/brooch with woven hair Instructor in the Art of Hair Work
national mail order companies or private jewelers. Pointedly, their panel on the reverse. (1867)—the most comprehensive work
photo: www.rubylane.com to this day—fascinating. Copies can be
advertisements offered assurances that these one-of-a-kind creations
would actually feature the locks supplied. found online on GoogleBooks, Project
Gutenberg, and at various bookstore sites.
Mourning jewelry not only remains little known among collectors
Other Designs and Details
but is considered morbid by many. So, few collect it. Though prices
Mourning jewelry, in addition to edgings of seed pearls “tears” and typically reflect their time period, material, size, condition, rarity, and
black bands (signifying grief), sometimes incorporated engraved words historical significance, most pieces are generally quite affordable.

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