Tiara (Hair Accessories)

A tiara is ornament first and hardware second: a curved decorative band, usually metal set with stones or crystals, that sits on top of the head with its highest point at the center front. It gathers no hair, holds nothing back and serves no purpose beyond being seen. Height at the center separates the styles, from a low band under half an inch to a peaked design several inches tall.

How it stays on is the practical question, and there are three answers. Comb-mounted versions carry small combs at each end that insert into the hair and are the most secure of the three. Band-mounted versions sit on a rigid or padded arc that spans behind the ears like a headband, comfortable but prone to shifting on smooth hair. Loop-ended versions have small rings at each end that you pin through with bobby pins, which holds well and takes time. Weight decides which you need, and a heavily crystalled piece needs anchoring whatever base it arrives on.

Headbands share the crown position and the arc shape but are everyday items with no ceremonial reading. A plain one costs a fraction of the price. Hair combs are frequently the base a tiara is mounted on, so the two often arrive as a single object. Barrettes and claw clips sit anywhere on the head and do real work. Meanwhile, a tiara only ever sits at the front and does none.

Weddings, proms, formal balls, pageants, stage productions and costume are the list. Daytime and office wear are not on it. Fine, straight, freshly washed hair is the hardest base. That is why dry shampoo or a little texture spray before fitting makes far more difference than a stronger comb.

Set it about two inches back from your hairline rather than on the very front edge, since a tiara worn too far forward reads like a headband and slips. Check the stone settings by tipping the piece and listening for rattle, which means glue rather than prongs. Keep it in a lined box, and never spray hairspray over the top, because the lacquer clouds crystal and dulls plating permanently.