The crowns are made of tin-plated bronze.  They have rounded projections at the centre of the front, each engraved with a cross.  Each of them has an inscription on the outer surface.  One is an invocation for God's help from a high-ranking official in the Byzantine administration, the Spatharokandidatos Romanos, and his family. The other inscription, which is dated later than the first, records part of Psalm 20/21, which refers to David's final triumph after facing hostility and being in deadly danger.  This psalm probably alludes to some similarity between the life of David and that of the owner of the crowns, who can be identified as Romanos Lekapenos (920-944).  It is also likely that these objects were given as an offering to some church for ornamental purposes or were used as wedding crowns.