Elvish Wedding Diadem & Swag

This diadem & swag was made was by my sister Bridget & I. It was a wedding gift for a very dear friend. Our inspiration came from a swag worn by Arwen in The Fellowship of the Ring and by this lovely piece I found online.

wedding projects

Our designing and construction phase was a bit complicated as I live in Virginia and Bridget is now in California. So I interfaced with the bride, shopped for the supplies, and consulted with Bridget over the phone and internet.

Once we had decided what we wanted and I'd bought a variety of supplies & beads for Bridget to play with, I mailed everything (including tools) to the other coast. Bridget began laying out the design and we again worked over the phone and internet to hone the design. About the time we were both pleased with the layout for the swag, Bridget came home on a surprise trip! It worked out beautifully for this project. It was so much easier in person!

Once it was all laid out it took Bridget an afternoon to construct the swag. The diadem took three days, mostly because she kept tweaking and fiddling with it. I finished off the ends of the swag and it was done!

the finished piece

The diadem contains iridescent & silver lined seed beads, silver lined rectangle bugle beads, Swarovski crystals in clear & silk, moonstone chips, and vintage Austrian crystals.

The swag consists of iridescent & silver lined seed beads, silver lined rectangle bugle beads, Swarovski crystals in clear & silk, and vintage Austrian crystals. We used multiple sizes of beads and crystals to add depth and dimension.

The ends of the swag were finished with sterling silver closed jump rings. The swag's jump rings hook into hidden (size 0) hooks in the diadem. We wanted the pieces separate so they would be more versatile for future use and easy storage.

made with love

We wanted to make this as personal and special as we could so we added personal touches here and there. All of the large vintage Austrian crystals were from our collection, some from heirloom pieces. The moonstone chips were a signature stone of the bride and come from her personal collection.

The final touch was the inclusion of three etched beads: Faith, Hope, & Love. We arranged them so that they were not visible when it was worn but so that the bride would know they were there.

Jesus, be the center

The beads were a good reminder as we worked on the project of what the wedding day would ultimately be about, a celebration of God's provision, His faithfulness, His love and the beginning of a lifelong journey together.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I Corinthians 13:13, NKJV