TTO 0074 Triple Rhinestone Sprays A fabulous little spray of flowers using 28 pastel coloured rhinestones arranged on silver-tone wire. The delicate piece has claw set stones and a simple pin fastening. The brooch measures 2" long. All that glitters is not gold--sometimes it's rhinestones. They shimmer, sparkle and dance in the light, and they are nothing more than faceted bits of glass. The original rhinestones were rock crystals that were plucked from the shores of the Rhine River in Austria, hence the name. But, as the sources of genuine rhinestones became depleted, resourceful jewellers sought techniques to duplicate the look of the original rhinestones. In the latter part of the 1770s, a French jeweler by the name of George Frederic Stras came up with the idea of metal-coating the backs of clear crystals, which would force reflection from the backing out through the stone. That method created rhinestones as we know them today. An advancement by Daniel Swarovski in the technique of cutting crystals to mimic the facets of gemstones more than a century later, enabled rhinestones to be produced en masse, and the popularity of rhinestones soared. Today's rhinestones are relatively inexpensive, and are made from glass, acrylics, paste or gem quartz. Rhinestones embellish everything from wedding tiaras to Vegas showgirl headdresses, from competitive figure skating costumes to costume jewellry pieces.