DIY Circlets

**TheBluffs** · January 10th, 2011, 03:27 PM

Does anyone have any DIY Circlet instructions?

**Ravenwind** · January 13th, 2013, 05:39 PM

I'm curious about this. I'm going to a renaissance faire in April and I want to get a circlet, or make my own

**sparrowswing** · January 13th, 2013, 07:17 PM

Well... there are some pages over on AlleyCatScratch with tips, suggestions, and info on how some people have made replica circlets. There isn't much info on the Galadriel circlet, but people have tried a few different methods for making the Arwens Coronation Circlet. I don't know if I'd consider any of these pages "DIY Instructions", but there's a lot of useful information there.

I typically just sketch out a design I like, adjust it to the size of my head (not necessary if you want a front-only circlet with clear elastic or an adjustable chain in the back to hold it in place), and then bend the wire to match my sketch (it helps to measure the lengths needed first; I just use a piece of yarn and cut my wire several inches longer just in case). For complex designs, I like to color-code the drawing, but we're still just talking simple tracing to get the right symmetry and going over it with colored pens or Crayola markers. For tools I really just use basic, cheap pliers (needle-nose and round-tip), and do most of the curves by hand. I don't have the tools or experience to solder wire (at least not any of the wire I'd be using in a circlet), so I wrap joints in 26-gauge wire instead. For the main design, I tend to go with 16-gauge wire. I've used thicker, but it starts getting awkward anywhere that the wires cross. Maybe if I had a decent hammer and an anvil to flatten those areas....

Really, this is the sort of project that anyone can do, and the tools and materials that go into it can span any price range. It can be as simple as a single wire or strand of chain, or it could be dozens of wires and thousands of tiny beads and crystals twisted, looped, and woven together in intricate patterns, or anywhere in between. I started with a $2 spool of craft wire from Walmart (it's a little too flimsy, but in the right design it could work) and a pair of pliers from my dad's workshop, years and years ago. Since I don't have a lot of places to wear circlets, I've only made a few, but there's a significant difference in skill from one to the next. My advice is to gather some basic supplies, play around, and see what you can accomplish.

**dollyfish** · January 13th, 2013, 07:32 PM

Holy cow! This is awesome. I love the look of circlets and would love to wear them for special occasions, but I'd never really thought of making my own circlets. I've made my own jewelry before (earrings, necklaces, etc) and this looks to be much the same. I should stock up on wire and try this out

**Neecola** · January 14th, 2013, 02:34 PM

Thanks for the links, sparrowswing! Very interesting.

**sparrowswing** · January 14th, 2013, 07:49 PM

Originally Posted by Neecola

Thanks for the links, sparrowswing! Very interesting.

You're welcome!

I actually tried googling a few different things, hoping to find actual instructions or tutorials (I just this moment thought that I should check the Instructables website; if I find anything worthwhile, I'll post a link), but nothing was really helpful at all. The closest I came was a very crude tutorial for making a wire braided circlet, but their method of combining wires in the back was absolutely awful - I wouldn't wish it on any of the hair here - and I figured most of us already know how to braid, so it wouldn't help much. So far those AlleyCatScratch pages are the most useful things I've come across. But if any of you would like clarification on my methods or pictures (the final product, the way it looks when I wear it, my color-coded sketches, whatever), just ask. ^_^

Edit to add: So far all I've found on the Instructables site is a Titanium Coronet. It definitely looks the part, but I'm not sure how many people have access to titanium sheeting, a TIG welder, waterjet cutter, or the vector design program they used, so I'm not sure how helpful this is either. I'm guessing if any of you had this stuff available, you probably wouldn't be asking for instructions online.
There are some good hair styling tutorials over there, though.

**Neecola** · January 15th, 2013, 10:36 AM

Originally Posted by sparrowswing

But if any of you would like clarification on my methods or pictures (the final product, the way it looks when I wear it, my color-coded sketches, whatever), just ask. ^_^

*sits up excitedly* Pictures? Oh yes please! We're DIY crafty kinda people in my house and I do have heavy gauge wire and pliers but never thought to try my hand at a circlet. I'm not sure where to start, so pictures would be very helpful.