Hairwork Jewelry: A Traditional Scandinavian Folk Art

Hairwork Jewelry: A Traditional Scandinavian Folk Art
by Diane Irby

Swedish Hårarbetare — Public Domain

In the early 1800s, the people of a small, mostly agricultural, peasant village in the Dalarna district of Sweden called Våmhus became industrious in finding ways to supplement their incomes. It had been a tough few seasons and, due to a number of socio-economic factors, including a population boom, they found it necessary to rely on traditional crafts to make ends meet. As a result, men primarily became involved in basket weaving, while women refined the art of hårarbete or traditional Scandinavian table braided hair jewelry. This was a natural transition, as the village had been known for its wigmakers. Though, toward the end of the 18th century, the powdered wigs that had been popular fashion statements for both women and men were no longer in vogue. Hair art, on the other hand, although not a recent concept, was a flourishing trend during the Victorian era, and it is in the Scandinavian countries that we can trace its early history of commodification.

Traditional Scandinavian table braided hair jewelry is created using techniques similar to lace making, where bundles of precisely counted numbers of hairs are arranged and weighted, and are then hung from a round table with a spindle in the center that the hair is woven around. Japanese kumihimo textile weaving is created similarly, using a marudai (round) stand with weights made from wood, which was a traditional way of creating strong and attractive cordage once used by samurai to secure their armor. Additionally, sometimes hair would braided around a mold to create a desired shape, resulting in intricate, hollowed out designs. When the work was finished, to help set the shape and add durability, it would be boiled and then oven-dried. Scandinavian hairworkers used these techniques to create, among other things, all varieties of rings, bracelets, necklaces, and watch chains. However, just as wigs, these hair ornaments were not something that could be marketed and sold within the community, which was experiencing economic insecurity.

At this time, sentimental hairwork jewelry made from the hair of a loved one was gaining popularity in Europe. However, some were hesitant to send hair out to be worked, afraid that it would be ruined, lost, or substituted with anonymous hair. So, as table braided hair jewelry became more coveted, some women took it up for themselves with the help of instructional books. In 1833, 17-year-old Per Adolf Huldberg of Stockholm published a 25-page introductory instructional pamphlet, Konsten att göra hår-arbeten or The Art of Doing Hair-Works. Soon after, in 1864, Charles Young and William Halford of London published their book, The Jewellers’ Book of Patterns in Hair Work. Nevertheless, not everyone had the time, skill, or patience for such a craft. However, this dilemma provided a new opportunity for Våmhus hairworkers.

Illustration from Per Adolf Huldberg's book The Art of Making Hair-Works from 1833 — Public Domain

Beginning in the summer of 1825, groups of young Våmhus women would set off, sometimes on foot, and finding various forms of transportation along the way to become itinerant hairworkers in Finland, Germany, England, and Norway. Before their trip, to help keep their feet dry as they traveled, Våmhus hairworkers would spin wool mixed with treated hair and knit water-resistant socks to wear over their regular wool socks. Once they arrived at their destination, Våmhus hairworkers would go door-to-door, offering their skills. They were warmly welcomed and often provided room and board in addition to their pay. Clients were happy to have the work done on-site. At the end of their working season, Våmhus hairworkers would return home with funds that went toward their families and the upkeep of their homes. Each summer, Våmhus hairworkers would travel again, teaching girls and young women and sometimes young men the art form in the off-seasons, until the craft fell out of favor at the close of the 19th century.

Traditional Swedish Hairwork by Joanna Svensson

Thereafter, traditional hairwork remained only as a quiet pastime in Våmhus until the mid-1950s when a few members of the Swedish Hemslöjdsförbundet (Home Crafts Society) revitalized the craft, inspiring a new generation of Våmhus hairworkers. In the late 1990s, to secure the knowledge of traditional Våmhus hairwork techniques, Hårkullornas förening, or The Hairworker’s Society, was formed. Hairwork is still very much alive and well in Våmhus today, where there is located a museum dedicated to the art form, and is richly incorporated into their yearly summer celebrations. Traditional Våmhus hairwork is often identifiable by the absence of metal jewelry findings because no metalsmiths were in the area during the development of the original techniques. Instead, hair-wrapped beads can be found at the ends of jewelry pieces, and very thin braids are attached, which are used in place of metal clasps to tie the pieces closed.

© Diane Irby
This article is the intellectual property of the author and may not be reproduced, republished, or distributed without permission. However, it may be cited for academic or scholarly purposes with proper attribution.

Citation:
Diane Irby, “The Traveling Hairworkers of Våmhus: Traditional Scandinavian Hair Jewelry,” Victorian Hairwork by Diane Irby (victorianhairwork.art), last modified March 27, 2026, https://www.victorianhairwork.art/journal-research/hairwork-jewelry-a-traditional-scandinavian-folk-art-by-diane-irby.

Bibliography:

Bachmann, Karen. “Ornamental Hairwork, a Bygone Craft.” Victorian Hairwork with Karen Bachmann, Morbid Anatomy. Lecture, October 2021.

Huldberg, Per Adolf. The Art of Doing Hair-Works. Stockholm, 1833.

Linder, Mats. hårarbeid. 2023. https://snl.no/hårarbeid.

Sparr, Anna. “Våmhus Hårarbete.” Katedralskolan, Lund, Sweden, 1997.

Svensson, Joanna. http://www.myranshemslojd.se/sv/Myrans_Hemslöjd.html.

Young, Charles, and William Halford. The Jewellers’ Book of Patterns in Hair Work. Containing a Great Variety of Copper-Plate Engravings of Devices and Patterns in Hair; Suitable for Mourning Jewellery, Brooches, Rings, Guards, Alberts, Necklets, Lockets, Bracelets, Miniatures, Studs, Links, Earrings, & Etc. London: Published and sold by W. Halford & C. Young, 1864. https://archive.org/details/jewellersquotbo00Will.