Rhinestones revival

In the antique business you are constantly challanged to identify your finds~ It can be a real history lesson, and long hours of research. If you are lucky enough to find estate sales where a family member is still alive, you can get the history of a piece from them, but otherwise you are on your own. Today I want to talk about Rhinestones. Especially in todays market, the trend towards antique jewelry is phenominal. The Rhinestone has been in existance since the late 18oos, and originated from Strasbourg, France. It is right on the France, Germany border, and located on the Rhine River. The Rhinestone was a rock gem found along the banks of the river. The name comes from the Rhine and also the term Caillou du Rhine from the French. Rhinestones are made of paste, rock crystals and glass. That is the basic base. They discovered they could be made to look like diamonds, and are always associated with glitz and glitter. The era was big in the victorian and art deco periods. Usually, if you have a piece of jewelry that was from those eras, it will be Rhinestone. They come in all sizes, shapes, and colors....More about antiques coming.....