Some of my antique pieces

[glitterata]

At Jewelerman''s request, here are a few pieces, starting with a snake and a crown.

 

[glitterata]

The snake is a Georgian cravatte pin, I believe. It has tiny ruby cabochon eyes (at least, I believe they''re rubies--they fluoresce red) and is knotting itself around a 7 mm pearl. I don''t think they had cultured pearls yet, so it''s probably natural.

 

[glitterata]

The snake was a symbol of eternal love. Queen Victoria wore a snake bracelet, a gift from her husband.

 

[glitterata]

On the back of the pin, under the pearl, is a glazed compartment holding a lock of hair.

 

[glitterata]

Side view.

 

[glitterata]

And here''s the crown. It''s a small tiara-shaped hair ornament attached to a comb, made in the 1880s-1900s of rose-cut garnets. Here it is propped up against the brim of my straw hat. The center rose-cut garnets are unusually large.

 

[glitterata]

The comb is tortoise shell (poor tortoise!). It has a chip.

 

[glitterata]

This hair ornament is the latest addition to my collection of Victorian garnets. I also have earrings, brooches, bracelets, and a necklace, many of which I''ve posted elsewhere.

 

[angel_nieves]

Wow I love your pieces.

 

[angel_nieves]

Quick question, what is the history of using hair in brooches? My mom has a brooch similar to the one in the picture and she calls it a morning brooch.

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 7/15/2008 7:44:03 PM
Author: Macie
Quick question, what is the history of using hair in brooches? My mom has a brooch similar to the one in the picture and she calls it a morning brooch.

Macie, you're sort of right but wrong spelling! It's not a "morning" brooch, it's a "mourning" brooch, as in I see dead people...

I believe it's a morbid Victorian thing where they put locks of deceased loved ones hair (usually plaited the way your mom's is) into a glass brooch, oftentimes with some sort of embellishment around the edges as your mom's has, and wore it in remembrance of their dearly departed. In fact, the OP's stick pin appears to be a covert mourning pin because of the plaited hair underneath the pin's head. I've never seen a hidden mourning pin though...it's quite interesting...

gliteratta, nice pieces!

 

[Circe]

I believe the hair was also sometimes used as a sign of affection between courting couples ... and the hair in Glitterata''s stick-pin appears to be twisted into a true-love knot. Maybe a little secret sign of affection?

Glitterata, gorgeous pieces! I hope you''ll share more with us ....

 

[angel_nieves]

Oops

that’s explains allot. Boy do I feel like a dork. I am off to do more research on the topic now.

 

[glitterata]

That''s right, hair was often exchanged between lovers and family members or preserved after a death. Sometimes you can tell whether a piece is meant for mourning or to express love by examining the colors and symbols in the jewelry. Pearls and diamonds often stood for tears. Black stones (such as jet and onyx) or black enamel suggest mourning, as do amethysts (purple was a mourning color). White or blue enamel might mean that the deceased person was a virgin (perhaps a baby or young girl). Sometimes a jewel will have an inscription that makes things clear: "In Memory of My Dear Mother," for example, or "A Token of Friendship."

I think my cravatte pin was probably meant for love rather than mourning, but it could be either one. The ruby eyes aren''t in mourning colors; on the other hand, the snake stands for eternity, so it could be eternal life as well as eternal love.

In fact, it''s quite common for the lock of hair to be covered or hidden in the back. I have a ring, for example, that has pearls on top and a tiny lock of hair under glass behind the pearls, touching the finger. Or think of lockets, the kind that open like a book or a little case--the hair is hidden inside. There are also brooches with a double-sided compartment in the center that swivels, so you can wear a picture of your dear one showing and his lock of hair hidden against your bosom, or vice versa.

That mourning brooch is lovely, Macie. Does it have an inscription on the back, by any chance? I wonder whether the gold area was once enameled--it looks like mourning brooches I''ve seen that have black enamel there. It looks like the hair is gray, which makes me lean toward thinking it might be for mourning rather than love.

 

[glitterata]

Apologies for the endless post. I didn''t mean it to be all one paragraph, but for some reason my computer ignores my paragraph breaks. Anyway, since we''re on the topic of hair, here are a few pictures of some of my Victorian bracelets made of woven hair. I''ve posted them before.

The next one has two colors of hair and another lock of hair in the clasp, which opens to show a locket:

 

[jcrow]

you have a fantastic collection! thank you so much for posting your treasures!

 

[DiaDiva]

glitterata, I''ve always admired your antique pieces. Thanks for sharing them so we can appreciate their beauty again. Please post more of your collection!!!!

 

[ericad]

Stunning!

 

[jewelerman]

GLITTER,
the posting is great!You have collected some really nice pieces that can carry a whole thread!They are worth talkin about!The cultured pearl was introduced to the mass buying public about 1908(Ill dig out the G.I.A.manuals to varify)I also think the stick pin was a lovers keepsake...pearls represented womanhood and rubies represented the flame of passion or love.Dont be selfish post more of your beautiful picks...the forum learns from seeing them!

 

[jewelerman]

P/S...where did you find these pieces...we want the stories...please

 

[glitterata]

Thank you! I can make up stories if you like, but the real ones are boring. I buy most of my jewelry at flea markets, charity shops, or online markets, especially ebay, though I do have some pieces from my grandmothers--my mother''s mother passed on to me her love of Victorian jewelry, along with several of her treasures. All the pieces I''ve shown in this thread so far were from ebay.

 

[glitterata]

This is the pearl ring I mentioned earlier, with a glazed compartment in back for a lock of hair. The center once contained a tiny diamond or paste stone, but it's mostly gone now. The ring is English, I think from the third quarter of the 19th century (though the style looks earlier).

 

[glitterata]

Here''s the back view, with the glazed compartment.

 

[glitterata]

Another view. I''m not sure what the woven memento in the compartment is, actually--it might be very fine woven hair (a baby''s?), but it looks more like a snip of silk.

 

[glitterata]

Now a selection of Victorian garnet bangles, which I haven''t shown before. These were very popular in the last quarter of the 19th century. I bought this first one at a charity shop.

 

[glitterata]

These Victorian garnets don''t photograph nearly as well as they look in person. The garnets are a deep, glowing red, like pomegranate seeds. I bought this one at a flea market. It needs two stones replaced.

 

[glitterata]

This was my paternal grandmother''s; my aunt gave it to me after Grandma''s death (probably because I''m the only person in the family with small enough wrists to wear it). The central garnet-and-pearl flower was from a Victorian bracelet, but the rest of the piece is much newer, probably from the 1950s.

 

[glitterata]

Another view.

 

[DiaDiva]

Glitter, I love your garnets! I'm on the lookout for my own collection since they are the my birthstone.

Please keep sharing your collection.

Edited for grammar.

 

[mausketeer]

Very cool!!!! I forgot to mention in the "Vintage Rings" thread that I considered a snake ring as well but they''re hard to find in white gold or platinum........

Do you collect Victoriana specifically? Or is it "the look" more than the era? Are you a "goth" by any chance?? (had to ask although I HATE using that term about myself)

- Jodie -