Rhinestones are pieces of faceted glass. The original rhinestones were pebbles of rock crystal from the Rhine River (Austria's western boundary).
Somewhere around 1775 a French jeweler named George Frederic Stras conceived to coat the lower side of glass with metal powder. The result was a wonderfully sparkly "gem" but it was still high priced because each one was handcrafted.
Today crystal rhinestones are primarily used on costumes, apparel and jewelry and are produced mainly in Austria and the Czech Republic.
It is thought that Liberace had the largest Rhinestone collection of all time.
(C) Judith Barnes 2007
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