History of Rhinestones

The name rhinestone originated from pieces of crystal or glass found in Austria's Rhine River. Rhinestones were originally cut and finished by hand.

In the 1700s, a jeweler in Paris created a way to apply lead to the back of glass, which greatly enhanced the complexity, brilliance, and reflective quality of glass.

Daniel Swarovski, born in 1862 in Bohemia (then part of the Austria-Hungarian Empire) began experimenting on methods of faceting glass. In the early nineteenth century, he created a glass-cutting machine that cut faceted glass, producing a crystal far superior to hand-cut crystal. The company was enormously successful and soon produced many optical products, abrasives and grinding tools, as well as decorative stones made from crystal.

These stone caused quite a stir in the fashion world of the 1920s and demand grew worldwide. The “flapper” fashion for fringed and crystal creations brought about another patent: A ribbon of fabric studded with crystals ready to sew onto any garment. Fashion designers like Chanel and Schaparelli made costume jewelry not just acceptable but a fashion requirement for every fashion conscious woman of the time.

"Aurora Borealis" was the next innovation in the crystal fashion world, and came about in 1956. Crystals were coated with an almost imperceptible layer of metal to give the stone a rainbow sparkle. Manfred Swarovski, Daniel's grandson, worked with Christian Dior to perfect this process.

All rhinestones are carefully and meticulously cut glass--or crystal--and have a foil backing with lead content to enhance the reflectiveness and brilliance. However, not all rhinestones are Swarovski nor are they all Austrian Crystal, which may be confusing. Rhinestones other than Swarovski are generally Czech, Korean, Acrylic, or Plastic.

Swarovski Rhinestones
The highest quality rhinestones by far are genuine Swarovski Rhinestones. Much like champagne, only rhinestones made specifically by the Swarovski company can be labeled Swarovski. Swarovski rhinestones are made of lead crystal with eight or fourteen facets.

Korean Rhinestones
Korean rhinestones are far inferior to anything produced in Europe at this time. These stones are single-cut, which means the backs must be cut, and they are cast, not molded. Korean rhinestones have poor light reflection qualities and are used in low-end heat-transfer work. The difference is apparent up close and from a distance, as they resemble flat colored glass. Additionally, the colors are extremely limited and have none of the complexity or depth of quality rhinestones.

Czech Rhinestones
Czech Machine Cut
Machine-cut Czech rhinestones are very fine lead crystal rhinestone with eight facets and a relatively large table, which means they are fairly flat. From a distance, these stones flash brighter than Swarovski rhinestones, although because they are flatter, the side sparkle is almost nonexistant. The crystal is not quite as bright due to slightly lower lead content, but from straight-on is is often difficult to tell the difference at a distance. Czech rhinestones don't come in as many colors as Swarovski.

Czech Extra Grade
Made by Preciosa, this stone is double-cut (top and bottom only), and the facets are molded, not machine cut, which means that the quality of these stones varies considerably. These rhinestones are NOT lead crystal, but glass. Thus they do not have the brilliance that either Swarovski or Czech Machine-Cut exhibit.

Acrylic or Plastic Rhinestones
Acrylic rhinestones are not rhinestones at all but are merely pieces of plastic shaped to look like rhinestones. Acrylic or plastic rhinestones do not sparkle like real rhinestones because acrylic does not transmit light as does glass or lead crystal. They are best used for children's wear and stage costumes.

Cubic Zirconia
Cubic Zirconia gemstones (CZs) are a cubic form of zirconium oxide developed in a lab as a substitute for diamonds. They have many of the characteristics of diamonds. These gems are hand-cut and are meant to substitute for diamonds; they are priced accordingly. Many colors are not available.

Rhinestone Cuts and Sizes
Rhinestones come in a multitude of different shapes, sizes, and colors. The cut of the rhinestone greatly influences its brilliance! Remember:

• Rhinestones with more facets reflect more than those cut with fewer facets.
• Rhinestones cut with fewer facets will flash straight on more than those cut with a higher number of facets.
• Eight-facet rhinestones combine the best of both worlds.

Sizes
Rhinestones are sold in many sizes, but the larger sizes have fewer colors, as there is less demand. Rhinestones are designated using the abbreviation "ss" (Stone Size). The smaller ss numbers, 08 to 16ss are too small for ballroom gown deccoration.

Rhinestones stone sizes are as follows:

• 08 SS = 2.3 mm
• 10 SS = 2.8 mm
• 12 SS = 3.1 mm
• 16 SS = 3.9 mm
• 20 SS = 4.7 mm
• 30 SS = 6.4 mm
• 34 SS = 7.1 mm
• 40 SS = 8.9 mm
• 42 SS = 9.1 mm
• 49 SS = 11.1 mm

Colors
Rhinestones come in a huge variety of colors, which can be confusing. Every year more colors are offered. Rhinestone colors can be broken down into four basic categories:

Crystal Colors
This is the traditional diamond look-a-like. These rhinestones are clear, with no color. This is the most commonly seen rhinestone.

Transparent Colors
These are semiprecious gem colors. These rhinestone colors are often named after the gem they imitate such as: Emerald (green), Peridot (lime or apple green), Sapphire (royal blue), Amethyst (purple), etc. If the name has 'Light' before it, it is a paler version of the color.

AB Colors
AB rhinestones are produced by adding an Aurora Borealis coating to the stone. The coating creates a prism effect in light refraction, reflecting all colors of the rainbow. The base color usually shows through, but sometimes the coating completely changes the color of the stone. For example, Jet AB is not black, but shines green.  Crystal AB is the result of an AB coating on a crystal rhinestone and casts mild colors in all ranges. Swarovski AB coatings reflect blues, greens, reds, and golds; Czech stones reflect more golds and yellows; Korean stones don't have AB coatings.

Effect Colors
Effect colored rhinestones come in special colors and are produced by polarization of the glass. These stones usually reflect two or more colors, depending on the direction of the light or the light source. Both Czech and Swarovski produce these stones, but Swarovski has more variety.