SCROLLWORK: Curlicues at the end of an ELEMENT. This can be either UPWARDS and around or DOWNWARDS and around. Thus you can have UPWARDS SCROLLWORK or DOWNWARDS SCROLLWORK.
SCROLL: An ELEMENT with SCROLLWORK at both ends.
RAY: An ELEMENT the goes out from the center on the BAND and either ends in SCROLLWORK or just merges with another ELEMENT
ANTENNA: A RAY or other element that has neither SCROLLWORK nor joins another ELEMENT. The end of this is free or may have a stone, cluster or flower. It extends past any ELEMENTS running in other directions; either horizontals or sloping.
SWEPT: An element that goes out from the center and curves up or down then either joins another ELEMENT or turns back toward the center and either joins another ELEMENT or goes back to the BAND
PETAL: A SWEPT ELEMENT that returns to or near to its origin.
BILLOW: An ELEMENT that traces an arc. This kind of ELEMENT can be anywhere and they are often piled upon each other. Named for the cloudlike appearance.
VERTEX: An ELEMENT that goes upward, makes a point and comes back down at about the same angle. This is used to simulate a crown and is often part of the Princess style tiara. SPEARPOINT: The joining between two ELEMENTs that first go away from each other then turn sharply and come back to forma a point where they meet.
LEAF: The shape that is formed when two ELEMENTs form what would be a SPEARPOINT except that there is no angle, instead, the shape is rounded and gradual and they meet at a point. SELF ELEMENT: An ELEMENT that describes a complete shape by itself. These shapes can be geometric (circle, oval or diamond) or design shapes (usually hearts, sometimes stars).
ELEMENT GROUP: The visual image that is formed by two or more ELEMENTs. This can be a specific shape like a heart or an abstract, geometrical shape the name of which would be irrelevant to this discussion (trapezoid, ogive, rhombus, etc...). A sort of sub-total of the ELEMENT NETWORK.
ELEMENT NETWORK or ELEMENT CONSTELLATION: Looking at the tiara as a whole, the image made by the way the ELEMENTS meet, cross, curve or, one might say, "go". The sum total of the way the ELEMENTS fit together.
PROFILE or ENVELOPE. The outline of the tiara as if it were a solid body, from the leftmost point where it rises from the band to the rightmost point where it rejoins the band from the point of view of the observer.
STEPPED PROFILE or TIERED: An overall shape where the tiara rises in a clearly or nearly clearly step pattern, rising then leveling off then rising and so forth.
VERTEX PROFILE or CROWN STYLE: The profile proceeds to and from the center in a series of higher-standing VERTICES and then away from the center in successively lower ones, resembling the caricature of a crown, sometimes associated with the "Princess" tiara.
MEASUREMENT of the TIARA: Generally these dimensions are used; in inches, millimeters or centimeters with one inch being equal to 2.54 centimeters or 25.40 millimeters. HEIGHT. The measure of the highest point. WIDTH: The length from left to right beginning where it starts to rise to where it finishes its fall. LENGTH: from one end of the BAND to the other. for a full-circle BAND this is called CIRCUMFERENCE and is the distance around the BAND. DIAMETER: the widest distance across using the BAND as the boundaries; this can also be the SPAN.
he tiara gets her visual nature from her shape, both external and internal. The external shape or outline is set by the overall angle created by the shape in relation to how tall the tiara is and how wide across. The internal shape is how the ELEMENTS meet, cross, have stones and other things inside the outlined shape. Thus, two tiaras can have the same outlines but very different internal shape. It is the wide variations in shape that give the tiara her attractiveness. There are two characteristics of an ELEMENT that governs how it, and how the tiara looks. Shape and direction. Direction refers to the answer to the question, does the ELEMENT go from the center outward or from the outside in. Shape refers to the shape of the ELEMENT. The terms that refer to shape are: