NOVEMBER 23 ISSUE ANSWERS (photo above): Hair work jewelry was said to originate in England or France by wigmakers for hundreds of years. It was very popular during the Victorian Period but went out of style by 1925. Cameras were not readily available, so hair jewelry formed a connection to friends, children, or spouses. A mourning gift was often made of hair. Husbands went to work often wearing watch fobs fashioned from their wife’s hair. Civil War soldiers carried locks of their loved ones from home. A person could take strands of hair 20 to 24 inches long to a jeweler, pick out the metal features from a catalogue and the jeweler would create the piece. The hair item brought comfort and connection to loved ones, just as a photo does for us today. Hair jewelry, wreaths, and crafts are still available where antiques are found or sold. Come to the Church Street Museum to see a few pieces of hair work. Joan Beringer, Romeo Historical Society staff