Some of the very best products and services started with a great idea. Such is the case with Heidi Abrahamson who designs and sells wildly popular jewelry items made out of cat hair.

Abrahamson’s line of cat hair jewels started as a way to help her friend Kate Benjamin of moderncat.net, publicize National Hairball Awareness Day sponsored by the National Museums of Health and Medicine in April of 2011.

Benjamin runs moderncat.net, which spotlights design-oriented products for cat lovers.

Hairballs are a significant health hazard for cats and other animals. Benjamin came up with the idea of creating jewelry made out of cat hair to bring attention to the hairball cause. Abrahamson took the idea from her friend Kate and created modern jewelry pairing precious metal with soft cat hair.

Human Hair And Hairball Jewelry

Human hair has been used to make all sorts of jewelry for centuries. Indeed, hairballs from cats and various animals were made into jewelry during the Middle Ages and even set with precious metals such as gold, silver and related gems. Taking some ideas from ancient times, Abrahamson’s cat beads are strung with silver.

The resulting work of art? The cat hair beads are beautifully subtle and muted. Because the colors used are usually neutral, they are very versatile and can be worn with a variety of fashions.

The unique cat hair jewelry line is featured on the moderncat.net website. Abrahamson, a long time jewelry designer, silversmith and cat fancier, was thrilled when the creations took off and went viral.

Abrahamson shapes the cat hair into beads and related jewelry at her Phoenix, Arizona-based studio. Her friend, Benjamin supplied the raw materials by thoroughly grooming several of her cats.   Abrahamson reported that cat hair is “not at all hard” to shape into beads that can be incorporated into jewelry. She explained  “You kind of pinch it together and roll it in your hand.”

Other Jewelry Designs

Although she’s won fame for her cat hair jewelry collections, Abrahamson also creates other jewelry designs. The highly educated collector and designer has done merchandising for I. Magnin, The Bon Marche and Burberrys of London. She has also exhibitied her work in Paris. In fact, Abrahamson has been a silversmith and collector of mid-century modern and Scandinavian jewelry for 40 years.

Oddly, it took a great idea to promote the dangers of hairballs to make Abrhamson well-known for her jewelry designs. Now she’s connected with hair balls and cat hair in a huge way.

Summary – Cat Hair Jewelry Evolution

For 2012 Abrahamson has a new cat hair jewelry line which includes items for men such as cuff links. Abrahamson is also willing to create custom designs.

Of course the cat hair jewelry is not perfect for everyone. If you’re allergic to cat hair, it’s probably not a great choice. However, if you’re a cat lover, it may be exactly what you are looking for because of its uniqueness.