How are Elephant Hair Bracelets made?

Elephant hair bracelets are created by using hair from the tail of an elephant.

This hair is collected along the paths that elephants walk and at watering holes.

Elephants walk along the same paths for many years - some paths are as old as 200 years although modern man has had a severe impact on the ecology.

The hair is then purchased from the South African equivalent of Fish And Wildlife.

Over the years Francis has designed and developed numerous styles to suit the requirements of the market. Some of the bracelets require detailed work with the hair.

The hair is often steamed or boiled so that it softens and then once it cools it holds its shape.

The average length of a hair is 22" (56cm). It comes in a wide variety of thicknesses and colours.

Elephant tail hair alongside a 1 Rand coin, which is roughly the size of an American dime. You can see just how long the tail hairs grow before they fall out naturally to be picked up for use as bracelets.

Francis Cary-Smith (AKA Neale) hard at work weaving his craft making elephant hair bracelets.

Clasps made on site at home where Neale crafts his bracelets by hand.

We carefully choose the best hair, thickness and colour for each design to ensure that the unique beauty is maximised.

Due to this process and the natural products, we can guarantee that no two bracelets will be the same.

All our designs are handcrafted here in St Lucia.

We design the clasps and fittings for the bracelets on-site to ensure we are in overall control of the quality at all times.