Regency Tiara-Making is a Go!

[bethzylla]

After spending way too much time scouring eBay and Etsy for the perfect Regency tiara, I've decided to take the plunge and make my own.  I picked out my brass banding and ordered two feet this morning.  That's way more than one tiara will need, but I want to make sure I've got extra in case of a catastrophic failure on the first try.  Here it is:

 It's 7/8" wide/tall, just to give you some perspective.  My plan is to mount large point-back rhinestones into brass settings and attach them to this banding.  I haven't worked out the exact logistics of that yet, nor have I ordered the rhinestones and settings (though I have chosen a very reasonably priced supplier!)

I chatted a bit with quincy134 about how to shape this banding on both the X and Y axis, since so many portraits and surviving pieces shape not only around the head's circumference, but also around the hairline (forehead to temples.)  That means it would need to have movement similar to spiral steel (great visual, Gloria!)  Since all this banding is really only meant to bend in one direction, that will be very tricky and require strategic cutting and rewiring.  The banding I chose is probably a poor choice for that, but I really, really like it.  Once I get it in my hands I can make a better decision about how to proceed.

I've worked with the stuff before and it is sturdy. I've got teensy rivets with a punch and setter to match, plus all the polishes and dremel tool buffing stuff I'll need to keep it looking shiny.  I'm not sure if I'll attach a comb or just a couple 'legs' on the ends that I can pin down to my hair.  A lot depends on how much I can get it to shape.  It looks great in my head...hopefully the end product will look great too!

Comments

[virginiadear.livejournal.com]

The brass banding is 7/8" wide/tall?

I imagine you can leave the bottom bit intact, curving it where it has to meet your head's surface, and then make the insertions where they need to be. Presumably (of course I could be dead wrong about this) there'll be one large/larger jewel plunk dead-center, and then placing the other gems/jewels/stones symmetrically to either side wherever you need a certain amount of "stretch" in the top edge. The one drawback, if you see it as a drawback, is that the placement of the stones or gems relative to the amount of increased arc needed will be a determining factor in the design---but every medium and even every design has its limitations or boundaries.
Rather than risking heating the banding, which is almost certain to have some curve to it anyway as it has almost certainly been stored on a huge spool, roll or tube, I'd try to carefully---and I really, truly do mean CAREFULLY (yes, that's meant to be loud)---make a series of tiny, shallow bends in the metal, again bending it to the shape of the head along the X and Y axes. I'm thinking you want a pair of pliers, probably needle-nosed, and some scrap leather to protect the metal even if the pliers are smooth instead of toothed.

Do tiaras have combs? (I hope so!) Would it be kosher, so to speak, to attach combs invisibly, maybe those clear plastic combs sewn inside bridal headdresses? ---Oops, never mind: I see you're already considering the use of a comb! Ought to have noted that, yesterday....

I'd try to talk to someone who knows something about metallurgy, specifically about brass, but my first and last vote would be to avoid heating the brass because metals can become very brittle when subjected to thermal stress, and metals can discolor (through and through) when subjected to thermal stress.

Is there any way you can either conceal the join when you complete the add-ins so it won't be tragic if they're not perfect, or else make a "binding" of brass wire (or brass-colored wire) look like part of the design? Could you mount the jewels/gems in findings so designed that they'll grab or clip the sides of the openings you'll be creating?

Eeh! Time for me to stop prattling on and on!
I just think you won't need to cut the bottom portion of the banding at all; I believe it's unnecessary to detach the bottom completely; and I think if this were my project I'd rely on snipping and spreading, inserting the decorative elements into those snipped slits, and then either crimping them, tying/binding them, or riveting them in place, but I'm probably also thinking within my own limitations.

I'm really keen, now, to see both the finished tiara and if you have enough time to take them, in-progress photos, too?