Steampunk Kanzashi

I am continually inspired by Steampunk and other styles where hardware becomes jewelry. I enjoy the feeling of going into a male-dominated hardware store, making my purchase with care, and then using the metallic things I bought for the typically feminine art of jewelrymaking. I like the contrast between masculine and feminine, hard and soft, geometric and organic.

Thusly the Steampunk Kanzashi was born, bringing into play my other constant artistic influence, traditional Japanese aesthetics. That and the fact that I noticed that even in modern Japan, many women like hair ornaments that involve small swingy, dangly things, and I think that looks neat.

It's about 4.5 cm across, and the central nut has an interior diameter of 2 cm. The entire dangle extends for about 5.5 cm from where it meets the nut.

The decorative elements were already strung together when I bought the hair comb on a whim. I always seem to have pendants lying around, ostensibly for necklaces, that never get used as such. I found this interesting piece, lashed it to the comb with 28 g copper wire (utilizing the wire already in place) and it was done.

It consists of: a nut, a smaller nut-washer-thing, 28 g copper wire stringing and nesting a few slightly opalescent pink glass drops I bought at the last bead show I visited, jump rings, copper chain, a Sand Opal 4mm Swarovski, and, on the dangles, a 6mm pink Swarovski and a 4mm Cantaloupe Swarovski that changes color between blue and green depending on the amount of sunlight it's recieving!

I love it. I'd wear it constantly if my hair wasn't so slippery.

If you're interested in kanzashi and what they are, check out this site.
New to Steampunk? Visit the ever-helpful and/or interesting  Wikipedia.