Tangled in Love: A Guide to Creating Beautiful Lock of Hair Jewellery
Lock of hair keepsakes have a rich history, from Victorian mourning jewellery to modern first-haircut mementos. A lock of hair is a brilliant DNA keepsake idea and here at Keepsaker Supplies we have all the tutorials and supplies you could need.
Capturing the First Snip
Focus on the milestones. Whether it is a baby’s first haircut, a pet’s fur, or a loved one’s curls, discuss the emotional value of these physical connections. Offer advice on how to safely cut and store the hair before it is set into resin to prevent it from becoming brittle or lost.
Design Techniques for Lock of Hair Jewellery
Hair is usually placed in gentle curves but you can do “chopped” styles where hair is mixed throughout the resin for a textured look, or even “scrollwork” (curled or coiled hair) by request. Some styles involving more work such as hearts, tree of life and initials take more time.
The Resin Casting Process
Usually you’ll need to “wet” the hair with a tiny bit of resin first to prevent air bubbles from getting trapped in the strands. Clear, jewellery-grade resin acts as a protective magnifying glass for the fine details of the hair. Sometimes you can shape and move the hair using hairspray, just add a little hairspray and move it to a new position then blow it gently to dry, setting it in place. Repeat as necessary to position then when it’s totally dry, you can embed it in clear resin.
Enhancing the Aesthetic
Complement the natural colour of the hair. For light or blonde hair, a shimmering or glittery background; for dark hair, you can use darker colours. White hair usually doesn’t have “white pigment” in it and is instead translucent. You can manage client expectations by suggesting they put a lock of the hair in a glass of water and if they can’t see it in the water then they might not see it in the resin. Very occasionally they might want you to tint the hair but that’s really rare and some customers are horrified by the suggestion (I then reassure them it’s only something I do when I’m specifically asked) and sometimes they like you to wrap the hair with precious metal leaf before embedding it. But usually, they’re happy to know the hair is in the piece even if it’s not visible and in that situation you can show them a photo of the piece in progress.
Choosing the Right Setting
Wider necklaces and large beads offer more “canvas” space for intricate hair scrolling, while rings are perfect for small, subtle tufts or a few symbolic strands. We offer precious metals like solid silver, solid gold and gold filled, ceramic and titanium. More to come soon! Just add the piece to the basket, with or without the DIY kit add-on, add on engraving if you like and any additional sparkles.
Lock of Hair Jewellery DIY Kits
Make a professional piece of jewellery from your dining table at home.
Lock of Hair YouTube Tutorials
Learn how to make memorial jewellery with our Lock of Hair YouTube tutorials here
