Wedding tiara design process - Continued Posted on 22 May 20:00

So the design has progressed to the point in which I went through the final design decisions with my customer. We spent enough time going through all the necessary things from design choices crucial measurements.

Shine of the woodland crown

Most crucial things we decided on were:

• Green translucent agate as a centerpiece
• Shining finishing
• Forged texture pattern
• Visible but not too large or prominent

I drew out the different possible variations for the side chains and couple different front designs based on her favourite choice. We decided to go with the larger front piece with smaller curves to keep the front more fitting to the proportions of her face. And since the actual tiara should have the main focus without any extra movement, the simple downward hanging chains were chosen. 

Flow of nature and mind

The side designs of the tiara seemed to flow around Celtic style curves. Starting first with more hectic design I ended up doing these designs not in one day but during several weeks. You can see how the design matured through a plainly nature themed and via love themed winds to the classical combination of wild nature swirling around the sides. (Which ended up being my personal favourite as well as hers)

At this point I was still coming up with several designs more. They varied from pure leaves to a more musical themed curves. And finally I made two radically different designs just in case my customer would have different styles in mind. These last designs ended up being the pure Elvish design and more futuristic and simplistic style.

Side product ideas

There was also talk about several side products for the wedding day:

• Ring for the bride: Silver, forged texture, shining finishing with a small harmony - vesica piscis attached (peridot as a stone) - Which I ended up creating (Forest Daughter - Tuulikki Ring)
• Cufflinks for the groom: Silver, forged texture, shining finishing with a small harmony - vesica piscis attached (peridot as a stone)
• Earrings for the Mother of the Bride

Next to come - Beginning the creation process (flow)

On my next blog I will write about the beginning of the jewelry creation process: What is good to have and know before you start making the piece.

Wedding tiara design process - Beginning Posted on 27 Mar 00:01

I’m designing a wedding tiara for nature and music loving mother. Naturally my first designs draw some influence from Ancient Nordic, Celtic and Elvish designs with some twist of my own design. Trinity and endless spirals of life with added focal point from a cabochon stone. The final color will be chosen by the mother as it’ll be hers to hold. It will lay on top of the nose flowing near the ears and knotting behind the hair.

It’ll be light and sturdy (with a forged / hammered texture) but prominent. Different lengths of chains hanging from the sides will create movement and Elvish feel to the tiara. The simpler design will also allow a more prominent forged feel to the piece and structural integrity since the piece will not have a frame that filigree pieces usually have.

I’m still in the process of creating the design and so is the name of the piece still covered in mist. Some of the design ideas are usable in both ways upright and upside down though the nature of the piece will change.

First thoughts when I started to think about the design was to do really complex weave of silver threads but since the hanging chains were a request from the customer I wanted to create something simpler which wouldn't fight the smaller chain details and would still keep true to the original idea.

Still haven’t drawn the side view and back view of the tiara since I’m still playing with the height and positioning of the piece. It’s also somewhat dependent on the wearer of the tiara so I’ll keep her in the design process. Next step is to choose the main design front and continue designing the whole piece.

Letting time flow

Designing this piece has been a long process since it’s been maturing in the back of my mind for almost half a year. Of course the actual drawing of the design is pretty fast and forward but I always take my time with the designs. I’ll let my unconscious mind do some thinking and combining different elements until some day the design is clear in my mind. This way I can think different outcomes and styles for a longer time.

The Meditating Way is only one of my designing styles. I’ll talk about them in detail another time (or when someone requests)