Gina Iacovelli: The Modern Legacy of Victorian Hairwork

Hairwork is the art of making jewelry and other sentimental objects out of hair. If you like Halloween or history, you'll start noticing it at oddities shows, incorporated into Halloween art, and at historical museums. In this episode, we meet hairworker Gina Iacovelli, who helps us experience the sentimentality of this artform. Gina taught herself hairwork from Victorian journals and then created her business of making sentimental and memorial jewelry. She loves expressing the past in modern way. Hairwork is about sharing love. Just think of how we still save hair from children's first haircuts today. Gina recommended the book "Love Entwined: The Curious History of Hair Work in America" by Helen Sheumaker to those interested in learning more. In addition to her hairwork, Gina is an interior architecture designer and creator of The 8th House Collection, a modern mourning and memorial emporium. Gina grew up outside Gettysburg, PA which helped spark her love of history. She currently lives in Charleston, SC. Gina recommends these places in and around Charleston to Halloween lovers: Magnolia and Bethany Cemeteries Bulldog Ghost Tours The Charleston Museum and Gibbes Museum of Art Fort Moultrie and Poe's Tavern and the Edgar Allan Poe Library at Sullivan's Island NeverMore Books in Beaufort, SC You can find out more about Gina and her work at https://www.instagram.com/mementos_entwined/ and https://the8thhousecollection.com/mementos_entwined/ My website is https://www.halloweenartandtravel.com.