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!