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Woven Horsehair

I’m one of just a handful of people worldwide who weaves horsehair.  Using an ancient technique which probably dates right back to the 6th century BC, I weave a very fine, strong ribbon band from horse tail hair - only the thickness of a single hair. Because the ribbon band is so thin, it lends itself to inlaying into fine jewellery which is light and elegant, yet strong and wearable.

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The Burnished Horse woven horsehair collection includes beautiful woven ribbon bracelets and inlaid woven rings, torque bangles, pins, pendants and cufflinks. My unique hand made designs start off life in my sketchbook and I work with one of the UK’s most skilled casting companies to craft my jewellery in burnished platinum, gold and sterling silver.

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Natural, untreated horsehair comes in many colours and, juxtaposed, the different hues, shades and tones form extraordinarily intricate patterns in the weave. The addition of metallic threads and wires and coloured silk threads expand the decorative possibilities.

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Crinolines

Plain horsehair of itself is quite beautiful when married with burnished precious metals. Our understated and classic Crinoline weaves showcase single colour horsehair or two or more colours blended together in the weave to create a repeating mottled effect. "Crin" is of course French for "horsehair" and traditionally horse hair was woven into a stiff fabric, called "crinoline", which was used to stiffen ladies' underskirts and dress linings.

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Brocades

Our Brocade pieces adds a flash of gold or silver to plain hair. "Brocade" is a richly decorative, luxury fabric often woven with metallic thread. We incorporate into the woven horsehair band real gold and silver thread spun for us by Benton & Johnson, one of the last traditional bullion thread suppliers in the UK, as well as weaving with gold and silver wires of a similar gauge to horsehair.

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Racing Silks

Our Racing Silks designs add a dash of colour to plain horsehair and pay hommage to the Sport of Kings.

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"One of the privileges of racehorse ownership is designing the racing colours, sometimes referred to as 'silks',

and then seeing them worn by the jockey on your horse.", Weatherbys

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Choose from 18 different shades of Japanese kimono silk thread based on the officially approved Weatherbys racing

colours. Famous combinations include the Godolphin blue and Her Majesty The Queen's iconic purple, red and gold.

See Racing Silks Swatch Card.

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Patterns

With a nod to traditional British tailoring fabrics, we create a wide range of patterns for our exclusive jewellery, including Tweeds, Stripes and tiny repeating Motifs.

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There are many patterns to choose from:

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  • Tweeds: including Classic Tweed, Herringbone, Houndstooth & Trimming

  • Motifs: including Double U, Arrows, Chevrons & Chessboard

  • Stripes: Blanket Stripes (irregular stripes, inspired by the famous Witney or Newmarket blankets), Pin Stripes, Chalk Stripes

  • Gaucho: our take on the popular Argentinian leather belts, including Polo, Pampas and Fuego

 

For examples of the many different patterns available, see our interactive Look Book and Sample Swatch Card. Some patterns require two contrasting colours; others three or more. 

Racing Silks ribbon bracelet
Racing Silks kimono silk threads
Stacked woven horse hair rings
Woven horse hair ribbon bracelet with gold brocade thread
The Burnished Horse HMQ90 bracelet
woven horse hair ribbon
woven horse hair ribbon bracelet crinoline
Woven horse hair ribbon bracelets and rings
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