This small handcrafted hair pin is made from American Black Walnut, Yew, Purpleheart and Beech wood with a Brass pin for added strength.  The Walnut grain pattern features a series of dark lines running round the top the piece.  The light reflects off a section of the grain as you turn the pin. The Section of Yew has deep orange grain contrasted by the deep hue of Purpleheart. Beech wood finishes the rest of the length making a very strong and dainty pin.

American Black Walnut grows in Canada and Northern America.  It is a prized wood for cabinetmaking and provides some pretty tasty nuts.  The hair pin has been made from wood that would have otherwise been thrown away or burnt.

Yew has been used for many centuries.  Longbows were made from Yew in the middle ages.  Pegs or 'treenails' were cut for Viking ships.  Furniture makers use Yew to form the bent parts of Windsor chairs.  Pre-Christian cultures regarded the Yew tree as sacred.  Possibly because of their longevity they became symbols of immortality.  Drooping branches of a Yew can root and form a circle of new trunks around the original tree.  Later the Yew came to symbolise death and resurrection in Celtic culture.  Thanks to research into the properties of the Pacific Yew bark, and a subsequent discovery that the European Yew holds similar properties called alkaloids in its leaves, we now harness these alkaloids for treating ovarian and breast cancer.  It remains one of the longest-lived trees on earth.

Purpleheart is a very strong wood from south America.  This piece was left over from a local carpentry workshop. It is one of my favourite woods to work with.

European Beech is commonly found across Europe and western Asia. It has been used for centuries in furniture making and for building musical instruments. This piece was left over from reclaimed planks that I used to build my workshop bench. Research has revealed that Beech trees prefer the company of other beech trees and often fuse their root systems together to equalise their photosynthesis. In this way the trees can share immunity and strength.

Measurements:

11.8 cm Long

1.2 cm Wide

This pin is finished with Nutshell wax.  The product is eco friendly and non toxic, blending selected beeswax, Larch oil and essential oils to give your hairpin years of protection.  It also uses no VOC's, formaldehyde or petrochemicals.

We are always striving to improve our processes environmentally.  Hand tools are used over power tools where possible and sanding etc. is kept to a minimum.