This magnificent Georgian hair ornament is fashioned in cut steel, brass and enamel with a horn comb. Cut steel was used as early as the Elizabethan period, but truly hit it's stride in the early Georgian period and remained popular into the the 19th century. Cutting steel was an involved process that required faceting and riveting each steel stub to a larger base plate. The steel "stones" provided a glittering and affordable alternative to diamonds during a time when paste jewelry could command the same price as gemstones, and rhinestones did not yet exist. This gorgeous hair ornament features a Greek key motif amid a pattern of alternating diamond and "x" shapes. The arced ornament is affixed to the comb with exquisite faceted steel rivets and swivels on a hinge to accommodate the shape of any up do.