Вопреки тому что вышивка тяжёлая, подвес держится.

It means despite the fact that or in spite of the fact that.

So the sentence structure is:

• вопреки тому что... = despite the fact that...
• вышивка тяжёлая = the embroidery is heavy
• подвес держится = the hanger/support is holding

A more literal sense of вопреки is contrary to or against, so the whole phrase suggests that something is true even though you might expect the opposite.

Because вопреки normally requires the dative case.

For example:

• вопреки правилам = contrary to the rules
• вопреки ожиданиям = contrary to expectations

In вопреки тому что, the word то becomes тому because of that dative requirement.

You can think of the structure as:

• вопреки тому = contrary to that
• что... = that...

Together, it works like despite the fact that...

So тому is not random; it is there because вопреки governs the dative.

No. They look similar, but they mean very different things.

• потому что = because
• вопреки тому что = despite the fact that

Compare:

• Он ушёл, потому что устал. = He left because he was tired.
• Вопреки тому что он устал, он продолжал работать. = Despite the fact that he was tired, he kept working.

So тому что here is not functioning as because. It is part of the larger expression вопреки тому что.

They are close in meaning, but not quite identical in tone.

• несмотря на то что = the more common, neutral way to say although / despite the fact that
• вопреки тому что = more formal, bookish, and often stronger in the sense of contrary to expectation

So this sentence could also be phrased as:

• Несмотря на то что вышивка тяжёлая, подвес держится.

That version sounds more everyday and natural in many situations.

Вопреки тому что is understandable, but it feels a bit more literary or formal.

Because in Russian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense.

So:

• вышивка тяжёлая literally looks like embroidery heavy
• but it means the embroidery is heavy

This is normal Russian grammar.

Compare:

• Он врач. = He is a doctor.
• Книга интересная. = The book is interesting.
• Вышивка тяжёлая. = The embroidery is heavy.

If you were talking about the past or future, Russian would use forms of быть:

• Вышивка была тяжёлой. = The embroidery was heavy.
• Вышивка будет тяжёлой. = The embroidery will be heavy.

Because тяжёлая agrees with вышивка.

• вышивка is feminine
• it is singular
• here it is in the nominative, because it is the subject of the clause

So the adjective must match:

• masculine: тяжёлый
• feminine: тяжёлая
• neuter: тяжёлое
• plural: тяжёлые

That is why тяжёлая is the correct form with вышивка.

Here держится means something like:

• holds
• stays in place
• remains attached
• doesn’t come off / doesn’t fail

So подвес держится means the hanger, suspension piece, or support is still holding up.

Why держится?

• держать = to hold something
• держаться = to hold up / stay in place / remain attached

Compare:

• Он держит книгу. = He is holding a book.
• Полка держится. = The shelf is holding up / staying in place.

So держится is used because the subject is not actively holding another object; rather, it is itself remaining secure.

Подвес is a noun, and its exact English translation depends on context.

Possible meanings include:

• hanger
• mount
• support
• suspension piece
• sometimes pendant in other contexts

In this sentence, it most likely means the part that the heavy embroidery is attached to or hanging from. So support or hanger is probably the best practical translation here.

This is a somewhat context-dependent word, so a picture or larger context would tell you the best English choice.

The comma before подвес держится is there because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• Вопреки тому что вышивка тяжёлая = subordinate clause
• подвес держится = main clause

Russian separates those clauses with a comma.

About a comma after тому: in practice, learners will often see both patterns with similar expressions:

• Вопреки тому что вышивка тяжёлая, подвес держится.
• Вопреки тому, что вышивка тяжёлая, подвес держится.

The version without the internal comma treats вопреки тому что as a single conjunction-like unit. That is a natural way to write it.

So for a learner, the safest takeaway is:

• the important comma is the one separating the two clauses
• the given version is normal and understandable

Yes.

Russian word order is fairly flexible, so you could also say:

• Подвес держится, вопреки тому что вышивка тяжёлая.

That means essentially the same thing.

The difference is mostly in focus:

• Вопреки тому что вышивка тяжёлая, подвес держится.
  starts with the contrast/background
• Подвес держится, вопреки тому что вышивка тяжёлая.
  starts with the main result

Beginning with вопреки тому что... sounds natural when you want to emphasize the surprising contrast first.