A locket for a lock of hair

A lock of hair, coiled or folded, fits in every Kavacha. Kavacha Designs | Sacred Armor™ makes amulet necklaces that open by hand to a private chamber, the way a locket opens, so a lock from a child's first haircut, a parent or a partner can be carried close. This guide covers preparing it, placing it, and choosing a design.

Preparing the lock

• Clean and completely dry. Hair must be dry before it goes inside, like anything placed in a Kavacha.
• Tie a few strands. A few strands tied with a thread are easier to place than a loose lock.
• Coil or fold it. Coil the lock loosely, or fold it once or twice, so it slides into the opening.

Which designs are easiest

Every chamber holds a lock of hair. What changes is how easy it is to place, and that depends on the opening. Measured from the design files:

• Wide openings, about 11 to 12 mm: the Kerala Large and the Pankaj. A whole lock goes in easily.
• Medium openings, about 7 to 10 mm: among them the Capsule Small, the Taweez, the Narashimha, the Antique Pave and the Agraja.
• Slim openings, about 4 to 6 mm: among them the Hirz, the Shakti, the Vámana and the Sri. A few strands, tied and coiled, are best here.

Chamber sizes gives the inside and the opening of every design.

Placing it and closing

Open the piece by hand at a table in a dry room. Ease the coiled lock in with clean fingers, leaving room for the cap. Brush any loose hair away from the opening and the silicone seal, then twist the cap closed by hand: the precisely fitted male and female parts align and twist together, and a silicone seal makes the fit snug. The end cap is held on the chain by its bail, so even when the amulet is open, the cap stays attached and cannot slip past the clasp. Never glue the cap.

The chamber can be reopened when you need to. Hair takes that better than ashes, which are best left undisturbed once inside. Water resistance has not been tested, so keep the piece dry. Every Kavacha comes empty, and what goes inside is yours. What you can keep inside an openable necklace covers notes, earth and ashes too.