Hair Jewels

In the past, a bride might have worn her tiara once and then carefully packed it away with her gown, perhaps in the hope that a future daughter would someday wear it on her own wedding day. Modern, convertible tiaras, however, are sophisticated, versatile pieces of custom jewelry that brides can continue to wear in different ways throughout their lives.

After the wedding day, brides love the idea that they have something of heirloom quality that they can wear out anywhere, says designer Christina Garcia, whose Headpiece Convertibles can be worn as a tiara, Spanish comb, necklace, or brooch.

All the pieces come with the purchase, says the Minneapolis-based Garcia. Brides love it because they can easily make the conversions themselves, with levers and hooks that are built right into the piece.

Part of the designers Heirloom Line, each headpiece is designed in what Garcia calls lace in sterling silver, an intricate filigree handcrafted by master artisans.

Crafted in a range of precious materials, from sterling silver to white, yellow, and rose gold, Christina Armours convertible tiara designs vary from very light and simple to ornate and elaborate.

Her collaborator, master jeweler Gevorg Leylekyan, has created a unique hinged mechanism that easily converts the tiara into a necklace.

Its designed for the bride to wear as a tiara during the ceremony, and then she can easily start wearing it as a necklace as early as the reception, says Armour.

Armour works with individual brides who desire a custom-designed piece with an eye on the future.

Each one is created so that anniversary diamonds or childrens birthstones can be added through the years, explains Armour. These tiaras not only mark the beginning of a marriage, but are designed to change to commemorate the ongoing relationship.

Debra Moreland, founder of Cincinnati-based Paris Tiaras, has been designing upscale and unique bridal headwear for more than a decade. Whether part of a collection or custom-designed for an individual bride, all Paris tiaras feature a signature charm wired to the interior. Theyre signed pieces, says Moreland, and brides appreciate that these tiaras are beautiful and wearable art. Theyre collectibles.

Bridal designers clearly agree: Moreland has created collections for numerous upscale gown designers, including Vera Wang.

Brides today are looking for more fanciful designs, and opting for bolder designs in different scales, she says. Most brides dont want bright tones in tiaras, but we are adding some more neutral tones to complement the darker laces and caf sashes that have become popular for wedding gowns. Sometimes well add some almond-colored pearls or perhaps a little black diamond, in addition to the more traditional ivory or white pearls and Swarovski crystals.

Another increasingly popular option is tiara flowers made of enamel rather than metal. There are so many beautiful laces today in wedding gowns, and flowers made of enamels in tones of white are a beautiful complement to the lace, says Moreland. Most brides build their accessories around their wedding dress. The beautiful dresses today leave room for fabulous tiaras and other accessories that can really pull together the whole ensemble.

Michelle Miller, owner of California- based MMM Jewelry Designs, agrees that the gown is the focal point for the bride and jewelry should accentuate that. My feeling is simplicity is the essence of true style. One or two pieces can be enough to create an amazing look, but it has to be the right pieces, she adds.

Tacori, already well known for its innovative line of high-quality engagement rings and wedding bands, has taken the convertible concept a step further with the Bridal Evening line of tiaras, which coordinate with bridal accessories such as necklaces, bracelets, brooches, and earrings. Paul Tacorian, director of marketing, explains: We created this line to fulfill a demand that we saw among Tacori brides, who would spend a lot of money on the perfect gown but then end up with a tiara made of cubic zirconium and metal because there is so little available to them of an appropriate quality.

Tacori features several different tiara collections, each mixing classic forms with modern elegance and crafted of materials such as sterling silver, genuine gemstones, natural pearls, and Swarovski pearls. These are genuine heirloom pieces for brides, says Tacorian. The bride can choose a tiara with matching earrings and a necklace and a bracelet for her wedding day. But these pieces arent just bridal; theyre eveningwear, too. So a bride can wear any one of these pieces for an elegant night out and remember how she felt like a princess on her wedding day.

Written by Irene Korn