When it comes to making your wedding photographs look dated, apart from the dress, the hair ‘do’ is generally the chief culprit. How many of us have looked at wedding photos from the 1970s, 80s and 90s and thought ‘O.M.G! – The hair!’ – and not in a good way. The odds are, in 10 years time we’ll be looking back on today’s hairstyles – and that’s something to make you stop and think…

The thing that I love about vintage style is that, ironically, it never EVER dates. Key styles from the 1930s, 40s and 50s in particular are totally timeless and guaranteed to help you avoid the ‘OMG-Factor’ in years to come. Here are my top 3 wedding hairstyles to last the test of time – and vintage wedding accessory suggestions from Queens & Bowl to finish each look perfectly:

1. The Side Wave

The Side Wave - sexy & glam. L-R: Veronica Lake, Kate Bosworth, Boucheron Earrings, Hayworth Double Drop Earrings

A 1930s / 1940s hair classic – sleek, sexy and alluring.

• Made famous by: Veronica Lake
• Seen recently on: Kate Bosworth, Sienna Miller, Sandra Bullock
• Hair requirements: Must be smooth and sleek – frizz is a big no-no!
• Dress pick: Asymetric
• Perfect hair accessory: Statement earrings like the Boucheron by Stephanie Browne or Hayworth Double Drop Earrings by Stephanie Browne
  

2. The Roll

The Roll - elegant but fun. L-R: Betty Grable, Dita Von Teese, BonBon Comb, Anouska Comb. Credits: Martha Stewart Wedding, Cosmopolitan.co.uk

This is a classic from the 1940s and is unmistakably vintage. Manages to mix elegance and fun!

• Made famous by: Betty Grable
• Seen recently on: Dita Von Teese, Tyra Banks
• Hair requrements: Needs length in the fringe and works better with thicker hair
• Dress pick: Spaghetti strap
  
• Perfect hair accessory: A big sparkly comb like the BonBon by Stephanie Browne or Anouska by Halo & Halo
  

3. The Slick-Back Coif

The slick-back coif - feminine and bold. L-R: Grace Kelly, Kate Winslet, Hettie Hairpins

This 1950s look is instantly familiar as Grace Kelly’s signature style. Sophisticated and feminine, but a little bold too.

• Made famous by: Grace Kelly
• Seen recently on: Kate Winslet, January Jones
• Hair requrements: Looks best on blondes and redheads
• Dress pick: V-neck
  
• Perfect hair accessory: Hettie hair pins by Rachel Simpson

So what do you think? Tell me your suggestions or upload them to the Queens & Bowl Facebook page!

Kate. x

So, your budget doesn’t stretch to diamonds, but you want to inject some vintage-style sparkle into your wedding jewellery – the options are pretty straightforward, right? Well, with different boutiques and retailers using a whole myriad of terms including diamante, rhinestone, crystal, paste, crystal quartz, Swarovski crystal, Austrian crystal, it seems not!

My post about the different types of pearls used in wedding jewellery a few weeks ago was so popular; I thought I’d have a go at lifting the lid on the different types of ‘crystal’ bridal jewellery.

Here goes…

Before the advent of modern-day imitation jewels, the rock crystals around the banks of the river Rhine were used to imitate precious stones – hence the original term ‘rhinestone’. Since then (and up to the modern day), jewellers and scientists tried to make more affordable and abundant alternatives by creating manmade stones. So despite its original and specific meaning, the term ‘rhinestone’ has become a fairly generic term.

Here’s a rough guide to what’s what:

Rhinestone / Diamante

Basically, these have come to be a catch-all terms for ‘imitation’ precious stones. All kinds of materials are described as rhinestone or diamante, including rock crystal, lead crystal, glass and even acrylic (plastic). For the record: no Queens & Bowl designers use acrylic rhinestones.

Paste

Paste was invented in the 17th century and was popular until the early 20th century, so it’s often found on original vintage wedding jewellery. Paste was a glass compound with a foil backing to achieve a twinkle effect. It was often used to create pave-style settings (made up of hundreds of stones) for a reasonable price. Magpie Vintage antique components often feature paste detail, like the gorgeous Art Deco Disc necklace.

Magpie Vintage Art Deco Necklace with paste stones

Rock Crystal / Crystal Quartz

Rock Crystal (part of the Quartz family) is often confused with lead crystal (see below), but unlike lead crystal, it is not manmade- it’s mined from the earth. Tiny imperfections, found naturally within the crystals, bounce light around within the stone and mean that there is no need for a foil backing as with paste.

Stephanie Browne is one designer who uses rock crystal quartz in her wedding jewellery designs, such as the 1950s-style Tabitha Brooch.

The Tabitha Quartz Brooch by Stephanie Browne

Lead Crystal

Lead crystal is not actually crystal at all – it’s glass, with lead oxide added at the molten stage. The lead oxide makes the glass refract the light much, much more than glass, giving it that diamond-like sparkle. The main production sites for lead crystal are the Czech Republic and Austria. They’re perfect for ultra glamorous, Marilyn Monroe style wedding jewellery.

Austrian Crystal / Swarovski Crystal

Austrian Crystal (otherwise known as Swarovski Crystal) is lead crystal and it’s the most famous brand of lead crystal in the world. Swarovski is acknowledged as being the ultimate quality, owing to the unique ratio of lead to glass (32% lead), giving the best refraction rates and amazing sparkle. Swarovski crystal stones also have more facets than other stones and are always cut glass rather than moulded or machine-pressed.

Stephanie Browne, Ivory & Co, Filippa Scott Jewels and Halo & Co designs are created using Swarovski stones, including the Nectar Headpiece.

The Nectar Headpiece by Ivory & Co in Swarovski Crystal

AB Crystals

AB crystals are simply lead crystals with a very thin metallic coating, producing an iridescent rainbow effect. AB stands for Aurora Borealis (otherwise known as the Northern Lights), after which the effect was named.

AB crystals help to give a vintage or antique feel and work particularly well with pearls. Halo & Co have some fantastic pieces in AB crystal this season, including the Anouska Pin.

The Anouska Pin by Halo & Co in AB Crystal



Hopefully this little post has made things crystal clear! If not and you have a specific question regarding your wedding jewellery, please get in touch and I’ll do my best to help you find the perfect jewellery for your wedding day.

Kate. xx

So, all pearls are pretty much the same, right? Nooooo! Did you know that large, high quality, natural pearls can be more expensive than high quality diamonds – often worth thousands of dollars each?

Here’s the quick science / history lesson….

Pearls have long been coveted for their beauty and value. Wild, natural pearls are formed when a microscopic object, such as grit, accidentally becomes trapped within a marine mollusc and irritates the animal to produce layers of nacre (the smooth, hard, shiny substance we know as ‘pearl’) around the object. This process could take up to 10 years to produce a medium-sized pearl and perfectly round pearls were (and still are) very, very rare. Pearl fishermen in the southern seas would fish for hours or days just to find 1 pearl, hence their prized status.

Natural pearls can be found in a variety of colours, depending on the water conditions or the mollusc, including whites, creams, pinks, gold and even black pearls from Tahiti.

Pearl definitions can be confusing...

Alternative options….

Thankfully for the many brides who want to wear pearls on their wedding day (a particular must if you’re having a 1920s or 1950s-themed wedding), there are lots of alternatives, many of which are used by the jewellery and headpiece designers here at Queens & Bowl. So here’s a brief explanation of each one:

1. Cultured Pearls

Cultured pearls now far outnumber natural pearls on the modern market. The science / process is the same as the creation of a natural pearl, except the grit or ‘seed’ is purposefully placed into the shells of mussels that are grown in large beds either within freshwater rivers and lakes, or the sea. They are then left to grow and mature.

There are still many variations of cultured pearls, including shape, finish and colour:

• The rounder the pearl, the more expensive – perfectly round cultured pearls are almost as rare as natural round pearls. Almost round, regular shapes are often referred to as ‘Semi-baroque’, ‘Button’ or ‘Rondelle’. More irregular shapes are called ‘Baroque’ and are less expensive but still ideal for a vintage look.

• The fewer blemishes a pearl has, the more expensive it tends to be. Every pearl is unique, so you should expect cultured pearls to have one or two marks, blemishes or small pot-holes.

Cultured pearls are used by all of our designers, including Halo & Co and Magpie Vintage

2. Imitation Pearls

‘Imitation’ or ‘Manmade’ pearls are very often misunderstood. Indeed, some imitation pearls are of poor quality, made of plastic and covered in a thin coating of paint. However, this is generally reflected in the price – if it looks cheap (you’ll be able to tell) and is cheap, the chances are it’s a very poor quality imitation.

At Queens & Bowl, all of our designers use high quality, glass beads rather than plastic. They are then coated multiple times with pearl essence to make a great quality imitation pearl.

Benefits of high quality imitation pearls:

• The glass gives weight, ensuring it hangs like a natural pearl
• Imitation pearls are perfectly round to give uniformity to the design
• Flawlessness – the man-made nature ensures that you can have a perfect finish

Filippa Scott Jewels and Ivory & Co use a mixture of pearls, including imitation for perfect roundness and smooth finish

3. Swarovski Crystal Pearls

Finally, there are Swarovski crystal pearls. These are also imitation pearls, but rather than glass, the core is Swarovski crystal. The superior quality lustre comes from a unique coating technology developed by Swarovski and gives a unique lustrous glow, as well as flawless finish.

Australian designer Stephaine Browne uses Swarovski crystal Pearls

So, even though you may not be able to stretch to genuine natural pearls there are plenty of good quality options for your wedding jewellery!

Kate xx

When Hollywood celebrities want to guarantee instant glamour and make themselves the undisputed queen of the red carpet, there’s only one accessory that fits the bill – the chandelier earring!

Gwyneth Paltrow in her amazing chandelier earrings. Image ~ PRphotos.com

Seen here, worn by Gwyneth Paltrow, a knock-out pair of chandelier earrings can really transform a relatively conservative or demure outfit into something that oozes feminine glamour.

So the chandelier earring is also a bride’s best friend for adding extra ‘joosh’ and instant glamour to your wedding day outfit. If you only have the budget for one piece of wedding jewellery, make it a pair of these statement lovelies. Here at Queens & Bowl we’ve got a selection of great chandelier earrings, whatever your taste and theme:

Classic vintage-style chandelier earrings, all by Filippa Scott Jewels

If your look is classic vintage, these 3 styles are perfect for adding some opulence to clean lines or lace dresses. On the left, the Oval Flower Drop earrings are very reminiscent of Gwyneth’s gorgeous Chopard earrings shown above. Pear-shaped pieces are timeless and always elegant, like these Vintage Style Diamante earrings, or for a twist on a classic look, these Cascading Drop earrings can be worn with the crystals facing either in or out.

Boho chandelier earrings, all by Filippa Scott Jewels

If you’re going for a boho look, perhaps with a dress by Jenny Packham or David Fielden, then chandelier bridal earrings are an absolute must! Our range includes huge, sparkly numbers like the Bohemian Chandelier earrings (left) or smaller but no less twinkly styles like the Crystal Chandelier or Large Stone Chandelier.

Whichever style you choose, you’ll be giving Gwyneth a run for her money come your Big Day!

Kate. x

Great news for lovers of twinkle and sparkle everywhere – Filippa Scott Jewels are coming to Queens & Bowl! We’ve had lots of enquiries on our website from brides-to-be looking for pieces from Filippa’s collection – and now they’ve arrived…

Filippa Scott Jewels head to Queens & Bowl

In case you didn’t know, Filippa, who is well-know across the world for her amazingly elegant, timeless and glamorous wedding shoes has recently branched out into jewellery and has designed a stunning range of bridal bracelets, brooches, headpieces and earrings. It’s a huge range, so we’ve had a great time sifting through the pieces and selecting the most sophisticated, the most glamorous and the most timeless designs for our Queens & Bowl brides.

Some of our favourites from the Filippa Scott Jewels collection

Some of our favouries include these fabulously decadent vintage style diamante earrings, perfect for an ultra-glamorous look, particularly with a slim-fitting wedding dress. For an 1920s or 1930s wedding theme, this Art Deco style crystal bracelet is perfect or alternatively, for an Edwardian or Victorian wedding look, why not go for this beatifully detailed vintage style pearl flower brooch, which looks fantastic pinned to a feather cape or shrug for some extra glamour.

If you’ve seen an item from Filippa’s range that you can’t seen in our collection, drop us a line, we’ll find it for you!

Kate. x