A love affair with tiaras
April 3, 2011 by suzannelazear
EJP Creations specializes in tiaras, chokers, earrings, necklaces, fascinators, and hair combs with a noir, and gothic flair. Creating body adornments with a hint of vampire elegance, a dash of Steampunk bravado, and plenty of Neo-Victorian sensibilities. Perfect for prowling the streets, haunting the clubs, or adding an aristocratic air to any outfit.
A little about my love affair with Tiaras…
by Edanna of EJP Creations
I
still vividly remember the time I saw my very first tiara. It was love
at first sight. I was probably 5 years old and flipping though a book of
paper dolls of famous women through the centuries. I had looked at this
book a thousand times before. Lady Murasaki always intrigued me in her
flowing robes. Joan of Arc took my breath away in her gleaming armor.
And then of course there was Queen Victoria the pinnacle of womanly
grace dripping with elegance. But wait what was that… was something in
her hair… and its making her regal features even more aristocratic! It
looked like a necklace but was positioned like an angel’s halo. I
pondered … What could this thing be?? I ran over to my mother hoping she
would tell me what such a lovely and intriguing article was. The word
poured from her lips into my ears … T-i-a-r-a. Such a captivating word. I
quickly sat cross-legged in front of her eagerly waiting for her to
tell me more. She then elaborated on this completely new world of
ornamentation. There were Crowns, and bandeaus, diadems, and
fascinators, combs, circlets, coronets, and headdresses. All sorts of
hair adornments, it made my head spin! As she went on to explain it
seemed to me that almost every time period through the centuries had a
magical way of adorning the head in such a regal manner. It made me
wonder why this wasn’t still in vogue for our time. The 1960′s gave us
the last spattering of the tiara, but they were fashioned more like an
elaborate headband. I was determined from that moment on. I had a new
mission in life sparked by that little paper doll book. It would be my
life’s work to pursue that mythical unicorn that is the tiara until its
mysteries were mine.
The
years passed, and I ended up going to college to study jewelry making,
and metal smithing. Surely my questions about these magical circlets
would be answered there. Unfortunately, they weren’t I was thwarted at
every turn. One teacher even went so far as to laugh at my pursuit
because… “no one wears those things anymore” my mind instantly snapped
back with, “well maybe they don’t wear them because they aren’t
available anymore, you ever thought of that!” It did cross my mind that
the reason my teachers were so against them might just be because they
couldn’t figure out how to construct one. Tiara’s might look easy to
make, but it really does take some skill and engineering. Unlike a
necklace they have to withstand much more wear and tear. Also comfort is
key, and fitting everyone’s head is not easy. Lastly there is the issue
of keeping it in place. Heads are round, floppy things and anchoring a
piece of art work on it is not easy. Thus, I embarked on the lonely
mission of teaching myself how to make one. There were oh so many late
nights at my workbench. Drawing after drawing that were thrown into the
trash can after spending hours making a paper mock-up only to have it
fail. But then after a few months small successes started to emerge from
my toils. And then finally the break though I had been waiting for.
Shortly afterwards my first triumph! A finished tiara, victory at
last!!! At that point I was so pleased with myself I decided to have a
gallery show with nothing but tiaras made of sterling silver sheet and
wire. It took me a full year, and a large proportion of my saving to
make all of them. They were so well received that all the doubts about
my mission melted away.
Graduation
from school came soon after, and then the Steampunk movement wrapped me
in it’s warm gear lined embrace. Whisking me away on countless
adventures then placing me gently on Esty’s front door. After that the
real work began. My two and a half year long odyssey of perfecting my
neo-Victorian tiara line. Of course I make other pieces of jewelry, but
the tiaras always have a special place in my heart. I still get the odd
comment here and there such as, “where would you ever wear one?” I just
smile and keep walking because I know once you have one there is an
understanding that comes over you. Sure you might wear it out to a club
or a formal occasion, but the real joy comes when your sitting at home
on laundry day wearing your tiara in your jammies eating ice cream on
the couch watching “Gaslight” or “My Fair Lady.” That is a joy those
people will never know, and it makes me a little sad for them. Also, I
must add that those same teachers who thought my passion was shear folly
laugh at it no more.~Edanna
http://www.ejpcreations.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment