1860s Hair combs

Recently I was spotted wearing my newest creation - a set of hair combs styled after 1860s haircombs. I was inspired by originals that I had seen and recognized a new way I could look unique. So here they are and here's a little bit about how they were made.

Since they were my first attempt there was really no pressure to make them look completely authentic throughout - I'm not sure that's entirely possible, because you'd have to have some way to connect things together that may require extensive knowledge in working with jewelry...

But...they look authentic when they're in the hair, and at this point, that's what matters.



I used metal hair combs that can be purchased at local craft stores like Joanns. The beads were found at A.C. Moore and Michael's, although I'm positive that nicer beads can be found online. For the 'coral' haircomb I found mother of pearl beads that were the correct color for coral during the 1860s - I wanted something to match my coral jewelry but didn't feel like going to the trouble to order online. The green beads are some sort of natural material - they're heavy like stone. I used two weights of wire - one a very fine copper wire, the other a much heavier pewter colored wire. The copper wire was good for linking beads together in an almost invisible manner, the pewter wire was good for securing beads in a formation - especially on the green haircombs. I used images from period fashion magazines for inspiration. Everything was wired onto the haircombs. I admit, I could have done a neater job, but it was quick and worked out well for my first attempt. It was fun, too, so now I'm going to attempt another hair comb set to wear with my attire at Landis Valley. ; )

I saw THESE modern hair combs on ebay recently and thought they might work better/look more period for the base of the hair combs. Just a thought.