Dazzling Crowns Adorned with Seashells Transform Women Into Modern-Day Mermaids

Floral crowns may be a staple for festivals and whimsical parties, but Chelsea Shiels is taking the world by storm with her mermaid-inspired, seashell-encrusted headdresses. The glittering designs are loaded with small conch shells, crystals, and gold accents that will make anyone wearing them feel like Princess Ariel. Shiel beautifully integrates her different findings, mixing and matching colors and textures to create multifaceted, wearable works of art that have a modern, bohemian vibe.

Necessity is truly the mother of invention, and Shiel’s crowns were motivated by her need to cover a scar she’d had on her forehead since she was a baby. “I got teased a lot, so I started making my own headwear because I couldn’t find any I liked,” she explained to Instagram Blog. This led Shiels—who is also a florist—to start making flower crowns. Since her mermaid tiaras have hit the market, however, they’ve quickly become her best sellers. “I thought people were going to look at me and be like, ‘Why would you wear shells on your head?’ But it seems to have worked.”

Shiel sells her floral and seashelled creations through her Etsy shop.


Chelsea Shiels: Website | Instagram | Etsy | Facebook
via [Instagram Blog]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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