All That Glitters

All that glitters may not be gold, but it can be every bit as beautiful. Brilliant over-the-top rhinestone jewelry is back in vogue as the result of the term ‘bling.’ The ultimate in ‘bling’ things is vintage costume jewelry from the early half of the last century. The term ‘rhinestones’ was used because the stones were originally rock crystals collected from the Rhine River. Georg Friederich Strass, an Alsatian jeweler, conceived the idea to imitate diamonds by coating the back side of the glass with metal powder in 1775. These manmade stones were blown glass, often colored, with foil backing that increased the reflective quality to enhance their brilliance.

Rhinestones differ from what is referred to as ‘paste,’ which was ground glass that was molded and melted, then polished and faceted. Paste stones resulted in a brilliant stone that did not require the foil backing due to the high lead content, but it was labor-intensive. In 1891, Daniel Swarovski invented a glass-cutting machine in Austria, which enabled rhinestones to be mass-produced with consistently high quality, and then produced a foil-application process thus eliminating the hand labor entirely. Swarovski rhinestones now dominate the market.

Rhinestone jewelry peaked during the Great Depression (1929-1939) as fine jewelry with precious stones, was no longer affordable. The early years of the Golden Age of Hollywood showcased paste and rhinestone jewelry magnificently as the jewelry had to be ‘over-the-top’ to be seen on the big screen. The movies were largely instrumental in popularizing flamboyant costume jewelry; one excellent example was “Auntie Mame” starring Rosalind Russell. It remained a popular accessory into the 1950s, when in 1953, a metallic coating produced an iridescent effect termed ‘aurora borealis,’ also invented by Swarovski. If a little is good, a lot was better. Women wanted matching pieces and would wear complete parures which consisted of four or more matching pieces that included earrings, necklace, bracelet, and brooch. Quite often just one piece of the parure might bear the mark, so if the pieces were separated over the years, the provenance was lost. Sometimes these matching sets, were often packaged in gift boxes bearing the name of the costume jewelry manufacturer, so the individual jewelry pieces were not stamped, much to the dismay of today’s costume jewelry collector.

Unfortunately the counter-culture movement of the 1960s saw a decline in opulence and materialism, resulting in a decline of showy costume jewelry. It wasn’t until the Disco Era with it’s mirrored-ball and flashy attire, that it experienced a resurgence in popularity. No well-dressed Las Vegas or Country & Western entertainer would be on seen on stage without bearing some bling. Rhinestones have become a mainstay on C&W attire, and fashionistas no longer reserve it for evening wear. One blinding piece of bling is enough to make a fashion statement on a woman’s business suit. Don’t just save it for the holidays. Bring out your bling!

Jewelry For All Seasons

As soon as the temperature drops to the low 80’s, out comes the sterling jewelry…the charm bracelets and the silver chain necklaces. No, sterling jewelry is not seasonal, but by relegating jewelry to specific seasons for practical reasons, it will ‘weather’ the test of time. Nothing can be more caustic to silver jewelry than the salt produced by perspiration. (Sweat as we refer to it in the heat and humidity of Houston, Texas.) Combined with perfume and the chemicals in lotions, and you have a formula for disaster.

Other jewelry fares better in summer...Bakelite, Lucite, and beaded jewelry, both glass and stone. But it’s still advisable to wipe this jewelry with a clean, damp cloth after wear, as those same chemicals in the lotions could affect the coloring of jewelry made from chemical byproducts like Bakelite. Every woman has her favorite pieces of jewelry, but keep in mind, the more often you wear it, the more likely you are to ‘wear’ it out. Why not balance the usage by rotating jewelry by the season. Consulting with Jewel Collect member and one of the most knowledgeable jewelry sources I know, Molly Garza, she provided this list of recommendations:

Spring – Costume jewelry in the pastel palette (as the inexpensive metal alloys will deteriorate just like silver, for all the same reasons…perspiration, chemicals, and perfume.) And of course, wear your sterling silver jewelry.

Summer – Break out the Bakelite bangles and beaded bracelets, and wear jewelry that doesn’t fit snuggly, so that it has air space. It’s best to wear costume jewelry brooches during this season as they’re affixed to your clothing and not your skin in the hot summer months.

Fall – Resurrect the costume jewelry but in the autumn colors when the temperature drops, and break out sterling silver again.

Winter– Show off the showy rhinestone jewelry during the holiday season.

Gold really is the gold standard. It can be pulled up from the bottom of the ocean three hundred years after it went down with the ship, and it emerges it mint condition. There were plenty of good reasons why a king’s ransom was mostly gold. A much better choice when the temperature soars. There was also a time when women had day jewelry and evening jewelry. The day jewelry was yellow gold; the evening jewelry was white gold. Now it’s more a matter of personal preference, but whatever the color of gold…year round, any time.

By selectively wearing jewelry based on the season, your jewelry collection can become family heirlooms that can be passed down from generation to generation.