Where did the name come from?
The name "rhinestone" comes from glass jewelry made for tourist trade along the Austrian Rhine River in the early 20th century. The original marketing name was "Rheinkiesel" which means "Rhine pebbles" An American importer gave them the name "rhinestone", and the name is still used today.
How old are they?
In the 1300's, glass makers in Bohemia developed and exported hand cut glass stones. The making of the stones was a very laborious process and the glass stones were very costly! These were used in buttons, adornments and other jewelry. By the late 1800's, Daniel Swarovski developed the first method of cutting these glass stones with machines which lead to mass production. This created a huge demand for the stones, especially in the United States.
How did they get to be popular?
Leading the pack of designers in the 1920's, Coco Chanel sanctioned rhinestones as being totally appropriate. Since it was her then revolutionary belief that jewelry was meant as an adornment and not a status symbol, she encouraged women to wear costume jewelry, even alongside the real stuff! She designed and made costume jewelry, and fine jewelry along with her couture collections. Rhinestones were an important part of her collections.
Other designers followed suit. Rhinestone jewelry was popular through the 30's, 40's, 50's, and into the 1960's. It was made in every form from the simple tennis bracelet to the most elaborate designs and came in all different colors of stones.
Is my grandmother's rhinestone jewlery worth anything?
In the 1970's, the rhinestone fell out of fashion with the "return to the earth" and popularity of the less ostentatious. The flashy pieces were relegated to the back of the dresser drawer or sometimes thrown out!
In spite of this, a few collectors realized the design and beauty of these jewels. They searched out vintage pieces by companies like Eisenberg, Boucher, Schreiner, Weiss, along with other makers and major couture houses. As today, collectors looked for company names, quality of stones, intricacy of design, quality of workmanship, and of course, wear and tear. Prices can go from under $100 for unmarked pieces to thousands for jewles with designer marks or promenant ownership. (A pair of rhinestone earings owned my Marilyn Monroe went for several thousand dollars at auction!)
Are they "in" or "out"?
Today the rhinestone is very much in the fashion scene - especially in the past year! The amount of "bling" goes through various stages of popularity, from subtle ear studs to outrageous necklaces and even pieces of clothing, but it is always there!
(Above photo mostly unmarked vintage pieces, rhinestone/jet necklace and earring set JR GEMMAE,
http://jrgemmae.etsy.com/)
