Are Handmade Headpieces Better Than Mass Produced?

Handmade does not always indicate unique or better quality. There are many crafters and sellers in the headpiece industry who think that stringing some pearls and crystals on a comb or gluing a feather to a clip constitutes a headpiece. Surely, you wouldn't want Aunt Harriett gathering some flowers from her garden to make your wedding bouquet. In the same way, you wouldn't want her to create your headpiece. I have found that the best handmade headpieces are created by people with jewelry making, fashion, and hair accessory experience.

Handmade headpieces have more flexibility regarding the components used to make the headpiece. You need to be particulary careful that the designer uses the best quality ingredients. It is highly preferrable that they use jewelry grade such as sterling silver, 14kt gold or gold filled, freshwater pearls, gemstones, and Swarovski crystals. There is a huge difference in the look of a headpiece using inferior materials. The sparkle from Swarovski crystals is a brilliant sparkle, whereas other crystals don't reflect the light in nearly the same capacity. Many sellers of handmade headpieces say they use Swarovski, but in fact, don't. Some use plastic "crystals" that really don't sparkle. The same is true for pearls. There are some high quality faux pearls that are fitting to certain pieces. But, often, fake pearls are just plastic with a paint covering and have a very cheap look. You certainly wouldn't wear a necklace or earrings of such inferior quality. The headpiece should be considered as "hair jewelry" since it is an accessory worn near your face meant to enhance your appearance. You need to consider the design and quality of the headpiece before you purchase.

Quality control with a quality headpiece designer is more obtainable than with mass produced, machine made headpieces. Often, the machine made pieces have glued components that fall out very shortly after purchase. The last thing you want is a headpiece missing some of its parts.

If your desire is to express yourself in a unique way, then handmade can help. If you are working with a reputable designer, the creation can be uniquely yours. On the downside, some designers will not accept returns when the piece has been custom made.

Another very important aspect of handmade that can be crucial for some brides is the fit. If you have very thin or thick hair or a very large or small head, certain styles can work better than others. You can request your headpiece on a very fine toothed comb or on a small clip or even on bobby pins. A tiara can be sized either larger or smaller. Handmade has the versatility to accommodate special sizing requests.

With the right headpiece designer, you can get a unique, highest quality, beautiful headpiece that fits you and your style. At Mary Clary Bridal Designs, I represent the experienced few whose background reflects jewelry making, fashion, art, and hair accessories.

Headpiece - Yes or No

Mary Clary Bridal Designs

No one will dispute the fact that a woman's wedding day is one of the most special days in her life. For most women, being the focal point of a social event of this magnitude, only occurs on her wedding day. Since you are reading this blog, you obviously are either a bride to be or somehow involved in the wedding planning process. You know the enormous amount of effort involved in having everything from head to toe as perfect as possible. Certainly, the gown is the most obvious important element of the "look". From the starting point of the gown, there is a definite need for a bride to accessorize. For some brides, their lifelong dream was to be a princess on their wedding day. It is without question that these women will wear a tiara. For other brides, the idea of even a tiny bit of sparkle in the hair seems too girly girl. At Mary Clary Designs, we believe that certainly everyone has a different view of themselves as a bride, and we try to work with the bride to accommodate each individual. Of course, we adore adorning the head in some way.

"I am not completely happy with the headpiece my aunt gave me to wear"

     If you were given a headpiece that is truly beautiful and you love it, but it is missing some stones, and just needs a tweek here and there, you can have a headpiece designer fix it for you.  If the designer is experienced and good, she or he can replace stones, and straighten out any imperfection. 
     If you were given a headpiece or found a vintage piece that you love in certain ways, but you would prefer the components redesigned, a competent headpiece designer can also accomplish that for you.  The key word here is "competent".  You want someone who really knows what they are doing to rework your headpiece. 
     If you have just one component from a previously used headpiece that you love and would like to incorporate just the component into your headpiece, it can definitely be accomplished by using a headpiece designer who specializes in custom work.
    I love to design new headpieces and to work on older ones to bring them up to perfection.  Some of the most interesting unique and beautiful pieces are comprised of the foundation being the "given" headpiece with embellishments from many other sources.

I Love Vintage! What is it?

Mary Clary Bridal Designs - Headpieces



Mary Clary Bridal Designs



Vintage is currenty very trendy for brides. Many brides are choosing gowns and headpieces that are either truly vintage or have a vintage quality (vintagesque). There is a huge quality differential in the category "vintage." Vintage simply means something that is at least 20 years old. So, if the vintage headpiece was poor quality and in bad taste 20 years ago, it probably still is, but it is now old on top of it.

Therefore, you have to use your discerning eye, and really look at the headpiece for it's intrinsic qualities. Do you love it because it is beautiful and well made, or do you just love the fact that it has a quality from a different era?

You really don't have to be hung up on whether the headpiece you have chosen is authentically vintage. If it has the look that goes with the rest of your ensemble and is excellent quality, then being authentically old shouldn't really matter.