I’m Stacey Hanlon, and I’ve been designing and selling my hand-made jewelry products for years.

But not too long ago, I ran into a puzzle that took me in a new direction.

My mom had taken up Argentinian tango. She got really into it. There was only one thing she didn’t love about tango dancing: she couldn’t figure out a way to keep her short hair back and out of her face.

Every time she talked to me about her new hobby, I heard about how annoying it was when her hair got in her eyes or got stuck to her dance partner’s face. Eww.

So I asked her what she’d tried to do about it. She brought out two big baskets of hair accessories she’d purchased over the years. Mostly useless plastic clips and bands that slid around on my head when I tried them out. None of them could hang on through a simple head shake.

I was pretty sure I could do better.

I scrolled through the inventory of every supplier I could find. I mostly saw the same junk on every website. But finally, I ran across a quirky-looking metal headband frame with teeth. That was the feature I’d been looking for. It was too plain for my mom, though, so I figured out a way to wrap it in gemstones and keep them secure. It looked gorgeous! So I gave it to my mom and told her to tango in it. Tango hard. She wouldn’t give that one back to me. And she wanted two more!

I always thought there were probably people out there who wanted a set-and-forget way to keep their hair in place while they got married and danced the night away, or just to look cute for their virtual meetings. Something that wasn’t too fancy for day wear, but wasn’t too plain for going out, either.

I put out my first line of handmade gemstone headbands in November 2017, and I still can’t believe the response I got. (Over 100 5-star reviews so far!) Since then, I’ve been working hard to bring you headbands that are elegant, comfortable, and built to last. With fresh designs for every season.

Live bold!

Stacey Irenne