I have always been fascinated with the way that humans have adorned their hair.
For almost as long as we’ve walked this earth, women have found creative ways to decorate their locks. Whether with precious metals and stones or with readily accessible natural materials, each era brought their own flavor of adornment!
The convenience factor of elastic accessories that we know and love only date back to the 19th century. Before rubber/elastic industrialization, hair accessories more closely resembled small art pieces and often signaled religious beliefs, social class, or level of fashion awareness.
In our era of convenience, there does appear to be a resurgence of interest and appetite for precious objects – including those for hair.
As someone with too much hair to know what to do with, I often find myself relying on hair accessories to complete a look.
I spent an afternoon exploring the jewelry archives at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs this weekend, which happens to be packed with jaw droppingly beautiful hair combs. As I explore archives I love to think of the modern versions that we can find today.
Here are my absolute favorites that have earned their spot on my vanity.
