Hair jewellery: the prettiest pieces to try

Let's take a leaf out of their book: these stars, dressed in their finest, are glamour personified.

A retro, blinged-up headband for a young country singer turned pop icon, delicate chain details on raven hair for a reality TV star, a diamanté headband worn with retro flair by an actress, an oriental jewel with bohemian spirit for a young actress, boho touches on a stylist too, and glitz worthy of the Queen of Sheba on an Australian actress. Yes, there's something for every taste, from the most discreet to the most statement-making: hair jewellery had its golden age, and it is far from finished.

On the shopping front, we love the hair clip with floral motifs set with multicoloured rhinestones — a real little jewel that turns a plain hairstyle into a precious detail.

This pretty medieval-style headband with stones and a filigree moon ornament, set with a red rhinestone, is the kind of piece you notice straight away — a touch chivalric, completely magical.

A vintage feel for this headband made of aged coin charms with an elasticated section, in pure Californian boho style. An accessory just waiting to dress up long, loose hair — shop it at British high street retailers.

This little rhinestone clip is seriously glamorous: it literally lights up the hair. Vintage spirit and regal bearing — place it on one side of the forehead and even the simplest hairstyle takes on the air of a tiara.

Beautifully bohemian and seriously luminous, this pretty jewel wraps around a strand of hair, made up of a moonstone pendant and airy white feathers. A jewel like no other — described as handmade by the seller — to be found on independent designer marketplaces.

An adorable headband, woven leather and a peacock feather: a winning duo every time, as lovely on loose hair as on a soft, undone bun.

Feathers really do have everything going for them — bohemian, folk-inflected, delicate — strung on cords and paired with tiny silver beads. Impossible to resist their light, luminous look worn close to the face.

Lately there's been more to our hair lives than hairbands. It's a fact: hair is dressing up in jewellery, as if we didn't already have fingers, wrists, necks and ears to cover in rhinestones and crystals. Star-studded red carpets have dazzled us — plenty of updos topped with sparkling headbands, bling hair combs and everything that follows. So we're catching on to the trend and starting to glam up our hair game — and the web, it has to be said, is a real goldmine for hair jewellery and accessories. Here's a little round-up of our favourites to tuck into your mane.

And if you're still hesitating, start small: a gold clip, a discreet comb, and you'll see how quickly the habit takes hold. The rest will follow on its own.

Budget

On the budget front, expect to pay around £7 to £18 for a rhinestone clip or an acetate comb from an affordable brand, £18 to £52 for a worked headband in plated metal or by a small label, and up to £130 or more for a designer piece or one with real pearls. What pushes the price up: the material (acetate and plated brass stay affordable; silver and cut stones far less so), handmade or small-batch production, and the brand. To track these pieces down, keep an eye on the accessories aisles of high street retailers, independent makers on craft marketplaces and costume jewellery shops — and always check the fastening and the weight before you buy: too heavy, and a piece will slip at the first turn of the head.