Make way for Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry!

There’s nothing more frustrating than buying a piece of cheap fashion jewelry only to find that it tarnishes or breaks almost instantly.  In fact, you can collect good quality Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry in charming, unique settings without breaking the bank.  Surviving examples are becoming sought after in their own right, for all that they’re not the ‘real thing’.  We’re not talking plastic here:  we’re talking quartz crystals that give off a bewitching glitter… but without the expense!

Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry History

Many prime examples of Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry were sourced from the River Rhine in Austria after the Second World War, but costume jewelry had been popular since the 19th century.   These new stones caused a sensation amongst women desperate to shrug off the austerity of the war years however.  Such Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry pieces would generally have been hand finished, rather than machined.  Their popularity was such that inevitably, mass produced versions made of glass became widely available, but even these have a certain appeal to women drawn to the glamour of the 50’s and the sophistication off the early 60’s.

Art Nouveau has it’s roots in the world fashion capital, Paris.  Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry brooches, tiaras, rings and necklaces from this period are highly covetable.  An elegant and flowing style which (as it’s name suggests), was like a breath of spring air compared with the stuffy, heavy styles favoured by maiden aunts!

Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry Interest

There’s been huge interest in Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry and in the Art Deco movement in recent years.  As well as Art and furniture, this aesthetic spread to jewelry too.  The simple, clean lines which typify the look complimented the (then revolutionary) column dresses, bare arms and furs of the 1930’s.  Look for dress clasps, hat pins and bangles.

You’ll want an example of the intoxicatingly named Aurora Borealis.  These Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry stones were coated to appear iridescent and date from the mid 50’s.  Their popularity endured throughout the rest of the 50’s and 60’s.   Keep an eye out also for items from the Alice Jewelry Company of Rhode Island: they stamped each piece with their distinctive logo.  Miriam Haskell’s work is held in museums and private collections across the world, despite it being ‘mere’ costume jewelry.   The Weiss Company of New York used only the purest Austrain crystals.  Red and purple gems are very popular.  We’re talking serious investment pieces here, albeit that they’re not diamonds!

Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry Collectors

There’s a whole sub-culture of Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry enthusiasts and collectors out there.  You’ll need to speak their language!  A ‘Parure’ is a matching set of necklace, bracelet, earrings and brooch.  A ‘Demi-Parure’ is just the necklace, earrings and brooch.  Obviously reuniting such sets is an achievement in itself.  Pierced ears were unusual in the late 19th and early to mid 20th Century, so most earrings are clip on or the (now unheard of) screw back.  As you might expect, Rhinestones were rarely mounted in precious metals.

Head to Ebay or Amazon to start your collection.  And use the internet to further your research and expertise.  Other manufacturers include Art, Coro, Eisenberg, Hollycraft and Floreza.  But you should also snap up anything that takes your fancy.  You might chance upon a hidden gem, so to speak!  So embrace Vintage Rhinestone Jewelry and Happy hunting!