tiara

post #3354624 post #3505042 post #1408453 post #3428225

A tiara is a type of headwear resembling a small crown, usually worn by women. Tiaras are typically a semi-circle made of gold or silver, with engravings and jewels, they may be worn atop the head, or around the forehead. In simplified depictions they may merely be a gold band, or a set of spikes.

While wearing a tiara can denote royalty or nobility, tiaras are more often worn by characters as a fashion statement rather than as a symbol of authority, especially in the case of "forehead tiaras".

Not to be confused with...

Circlet

post #3354971 post #3221332 post #3480299

While sometimes similar to tiaras worn across the forehead (especially when the wearer's hair obscures most of it), circlets and tiaras should not be confused:

a circlet is a full circle, tiaras are only semi-circles
circlets may be a thin gold or silver hoop that goes around the wearer's entire head, or take the form of a chain or string, with jewels or beads worn atop the wearer's head, or around it, a tiara will always be a solid object.