Oletko sin\u00e4 n\u00e4hnyt, tai onko sinulla hiuksista tehtyj\u00e4 koruja?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Throughout nearly all of human history, hair has been valued in various ways. Long, shiny hair has been considered a woman\u2019s crown, and it has been oiled and waxed to achieve a high shine. On the other hand, high-ranking figures, such as pharaohs, may have shaved their heads completely as a sign of their status. At certain times, elaborate hairstyles were so important that they became expensive to maintain, leading to the production of large wigs that were easier to keep in shape and wear. In 18th-century courts, wigs were large, powdered all over, and could feature enormous decorations such as whole birds or miniature ships. But instead of hairstyles, I wanted to tell you today about something else entirely, a different use for hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A while back, on a friend\u2019s recommendation, I went to a house clearance sale. There I found something I\u2019d never come across myself before, even though I have seen them on others and read about them. In one of the jewelry boxes, I came across this brooch and knew right away what it was. This dainty little brooch is woven from hair. Jewelry made from human hair (and other types of fur) has existed since at least the Middle Ages, perhaps even earlier. Hair jewelry has generally been associated with remembrance or mourning. They became particularly popular in Victorian England, where mourning became fashionable thanks to Queen Victoria. The trend also spread to the rest of Europe. The hair jewelry found today is mainly from the late 1800s or either of the World War periods of the 1910s and 1940s. Hair has been used to make other things too, for example clothing and embroidery, but that is a totally different post. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At its simplest, locks of hair from the deceased or from loved ones going off to war were placed inside small lockets just as they were, but at some point people began weaving them into decorative patterns that were set under glass in pendants or brooches. Hair was also used to make watch chains, rings, bracelets, and even framed pictures. In England, manufacturers even had catalogs featuring suggestions for various hair jewelry designs or ways to braid hair into a locket. Typical braiding styles include hard small balls, such as in this brooch, thick but see-through, elastic cords or balls braided into a hollow shape, and tight, twisted thin cords. Hair strands made into a basket-weave pattern under glass were also popular, as were, of course, more decorative versions of traditional curls. The idea was to use specifically the hair of a certain person, someone they wanted to keep close and in their memories at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Finland, hair ornaments were possibly made primarily by girls or young women who traveled around the country from house to house practicing their craft. In the 1970s, there were still a few hair ornament weavers in Finland, and one of them was Anna Ruohola from Rauma, whose works are preserved at the Rauma Museum<\/a>. Hair ornament weaving was also popular in Sweden, and apparently Swedish weavers even traveled throughout Europe. The art of hair braiding may have come to Finland from the Swedish region of Dalarna<\/a>, where hair braiding was a traditional craft technique. Hair braiding uses a kind of round, stool-like workbench with a hole in the center, and the technique is similar to the Japanese kumihimo braiding. There are still couple professionals around the world who are dedicated to the hair work, but technique is now rare and as far as I know, there is no more hair work skills in Finland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you seen, or do you have jewelry made of hair?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hiuksia on l\u00e4hes koko ihmiskunnan historian pidetty eri tavoin arvossa. Pitki\u00e4 kiilt\u00e4vi\u00e4 hiuksia on pidetty naisen kruununa ja niit\u00e4 on \u00f6ljytty ja vahattu korkean kiillon saamiseksi. Toisaalta korkea-arvoiset henkil\u00f6t esim. faaraot, ovat saattaneet ajella hiukset kokonaan pois arvonsa merkiksi. Joinakin aikoina n\u00e4ytt\u00e4v\u00e4t kampaukset ovat olleet niin t\u00e4rkeit\u00e4, ett\u00e4 niist\u00e4 on tullut kalliita yll\u00e4pit\u00e4\u00e4 ja on… <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/inenglish.gif?resize=214%2C100\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hiuskoru3.jpg?resize=713%2C1024\")
I also found loose ball decoration. I don’t know where this belongs to, in my opinion there is no place for it in the brooch. It also seems darker colour than the hair in the brooch. <\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hiuskoru1.jpg?resize=686%2C1024\")
In the close-up you can clearly see that the brooch is made of hair. Balls\/beads clearly show individual hairs and the colourdifferences. There is three different kind of braids in the brooch, the weaved base, the curly twisted decorations and the ball strands. <\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hiuskoru4.jpg?resize=683%2C1024\")
Attachment for the brooch is ordinary safety pin, which is sewn on the brooch with sturdy cotton thread. This fact and the design of the brooch is hinting towards 1940’s. During the war it was quite popular to have rememberance jewelry made of the hair of those who are leaving to the front, like spouse or other close relatives. <\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/hiuskoru2.jpg?resize=680%2C1024\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n