Antique Javanese Tusuk Konde Quivering Hair Pins: Gold Tone Palm Leaf Flowers

These hair pins were originally adorned with 15 tubular flowers and 1 blossoming flower, all of which we believe were made of palm leaf painted gold. They originally had six on the lowest level, five on the second level, four on the third level, and one at the top. The one on the top has softer rose like petals with a three tongued stoma jutting out above. We use the word ‘originally’ because each hair pin is missing a few flowers…
 
A note that came with them said they were Balinese dancer hair pins, presumably purchased in 1935 by our grandmother or the Burr sisters on their world tour. However, the Balinese have traditionally used large flower arrangements as hair ornaments. We believe that these are in fact Javanese traditional ‘tusuk konde’ quivering hair pins, their delicate, moving attachments known as ‘tremblers’ creating a shimmering effect as the wearer moves. These are built with small decorative elements attached to a spring mechanism or delicate wires. As are our collection.
 
This particular set is most fragile, with two tubular flowers having detached from the metal wires looped through their lower regions during photography. They will not last long if worn as intended. We can think of many other ways they could be used as décor pieces… but you could also just have fun and wear them for a party one night!
 
Each is approximately H 10” x L 4 1/2” x W 2”. The bone pins are 3 3/4” long. They are a bit discolored as would be expected with age.
 
Disclaimer: We have tried to make sure colors shown in photos are representative of the real colors of each item. We have tried to identify all imperfections in descriptions, but we may have missed some. If you are unhappy with your purchase, let us know.