Vulcanite turns from black to brown. Another substance similar to jet is gutta percha, a natural material for mourning jewelry. Gutta percha is a black or brownish hard rubber material made from the sap of a Malayan tree. It was introduced to Paris in 1842. Durable and highly impressionable, it lent itself well to the Victorian taste for embellishment, and many lockets, brooches, bracelets and walking cane heads were made from it.
Many pieces are still available to collectors at reasonable prices.
Egyptian tomb paintings portray scenes showing pharaohs and queens exchanging hair balls as tokens of enduring love. In Mexico, Indian women kept hair combings in a special jar which was buried with their bodies so that the soul would not become tired looking for missing parts, and delay its passage to the other world. Hairwork has early commercial roots in Scandinavian countries, where some is still actively being done. In order to survive and keep their farms, they turned to crafts on a part-time basis. Each village developed its own special trade.