Hair pins were the sign of a respectable married woman in Italy. They were first worn at the wedding, and after that on feast days and special occasions. Only the unmarried and prostitutes wore their hair loose.

Hair pins were worn throughout the country, but the most numerous and interesting come from the north. This double-headed hairpin would originally have formed part of a complex headdress, called 'raggiera', which was typical of the region around Lake Como in Lombardy. The raggiera headdress consisted of a thick bun of ribbons and hair, shaped like a horseshoe, at the back of the head. A mass of hair pins were stuck into the outside edges of this bun so that their decorative heads surrounded the sides of the wearer's face like a fan. The double-headed pin was inserted horizontally along the bottom of the bun to hold the whole array in place. One end unscrews, to make it easier to put in place.

It comes from Latium, but has the silver mark of Lombardy. It was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.