Here is an exert from the
article in the Citizens' Companion, October-November 2005 and also
in Lucy's own words:
In Civil War reenactment camps
throughout the country you will find individuals like Lucy Cadwallader,
who is perfecting a longtime interest.
Her motivation is to learn, share, and teach.
Her motivation is to learn, share, and teach.
Lucy Cadwallader
Interview
and History
I grew up in Vienna, Austria and
wanted to learn more about US History by living it. After returning
to the States and finishing college, I became involved in Civil War reenacting
in 1992 became a member of the Civil War Heritage Foundation
and the 2nd Maryland. I share the hobby with my husband Bud, son Daniel and
daughter Sarah. I have taken this hobby to schools, conducted
seminars and fashion shows, and am now specializing in the art of Victorian
Hair Jewelry.
When conducting the fashion
shows, I would select a new topic to research each year. About six
years ago, I chose Civil War mourning jewelry and became fascinated with hair
jewelry in particular. Through trial and error, I began learning the
art.
Mourning jewelry, specifically
hair jewelry, was a symbol of life, a token of love, a tangible remembrance.
Hair jewelry was one of the most personal pieces of jewelry one could bestow
upon another. Hair provided an intimate connection between the deceased
and the living.
Hair jewelry has become a very
personal and rewarding experience for me. Each piece I make has a story
of its own. Hair jewelry helps people begin to heal from a
loss, and I share the loss with my clientele while working on a
piece. I try to work very closely with the family or individual.
The pattern, findings, and over all finished product should be a joint
effort. I recall one of the first pieces I made was a channel ring
for a friend. She wanted her son's long ponytail she had kept
from the 70's, her daughter-in-law's hair, and her granddaughter's hair to all
be included in a weave. I thought that was a beautiful Christmas gift to
bestow upon her daughter-in-law.
One of my most difficult pieces
I was asked to make was for my neighbor who lost her young daughter in an
automobile accident. She wanted to give her son a pendant with her
daughter's hair woven inside. I became a bit superstitious during
this project, I was constantly misplacing her hair. I have a summer
kitchen in my back yard, which I use as my studio for hair jewelry. I often
run back and forth to answer phone calls in the main house, and would
carry her ponytail with me when I answered the phone. I would place the
hair down and then return to the summer kitchen. I kidded around with
Odessa, telling her I needed to get the piece done in time for Christmas, and
to stop teasing with me! I used to watch her and her brother and
sister when they were little. After the pendant was completed
I told the story to her Mom, and I think it helped us both heal a little from
the sudden loss.
I truly love what I do, I am
fascinated with just about everything from the Victorian and Civil War era.
I am currently researching Queen Elizabeth I, better known as the virgin
queen. She was the daughter of Henry VIII and ahead of her time, no pun
intended.
As
far as pricing a piece of hair jewelry, I try to give estimates, most people
who send me hair do not realize that the length of the hair plays a very
significant role in the amount of work. I cannot add hair to the
braiding table and I usually wind up with about half the length I started
with. It's easy to price a piece made from the hair extensions that I
can also use, the length is long and the condition is usually overall good.
Hair flowers can be tricky to price, I place the pieces in old paperweights
and oval frames I buy in antiques shops. Therefore the cost can depend
upon what I had to pay at the time of purchase. My intent is to share my
art with others, I try to make hair jewelry and hair flowers affordable. My
goal is to one day do a demonstration at the Smithsonian American History
Museum in Washington, DC and I think it would be fun to introduce
the art of Hair Jewelry to the rest of America in a documentary or on a
popular talk show! Most open weave earrings range from $65.00 to $95.00 depending upon weave and selection of findings.
Lucy enjoys the challenge of
repairing old pieces (brooches, rings, watch chains, bracelets).
For more information please contact
Lucyshairwork@aol.com
For more information please contact
Lucyshairwork@aol.com
Contact Lucy for a complete price guide and let her do a design for you.
These items are only examples she does many designs. More
of Lucy's work