TTO 0115 Sheaf Of Corn Brooch 1940s Elaborate 'Sheaf Of Corn' brooch with enameled outer 'ears' and two central rows of aurora borealis rhinestones. Some wear to the goldtone metal stem, but overall excellent condition. Probably American, from the late 1940s. The brooch measures 2 1/2" across. A rhinestone or paste or diamante is a diamond simulant made from rock crystal, glass or acrylic. Originally, rhinestones were rock crystals gathered from the river Rhine. The availability was greatly increased when around 1775 the Alsatian jeweller Georg Friedrich Strass had the idea to imitate diamonds by coating the lower side of glass with metal powder. Hence, rhinestones are called Strass in many European languages. Rhinestones may be used as imitations of diamonds, and some manufacturers even manage to reproduce the glistening effect real diamonds have in the sun.