 The
History of Rhinestones
The
history of crystal dates back thousands of years
to the Mesopotamian times. However it wasn't until 1676
that Englishman George Ravenscroft discovered
adding lead oxide to the glass composition, give
it a far more brilliant sparkle and was an
alternate to the popular rock crystal which was
much more expensive, harder to cut and less
refractive.
In 1892,
Daniel Swarovski invented a machine to cut
jewellery stones perfectly. In 1895, he moved his
 company, known as Swarovski, from
Bohemia to the Wattens, Austria where he used the
Rhine River as a source of energy to run the
company's machinery. From here it's possible the
name "Rhinestone" was born, however
some suggest the name was used before this to
describe "rock crystal" extracted from
the River. Whatever it's origin today the word
"Rhinestone" is used for leaded crystal
coming from many countrys.
Swarovski
is the highest quality crystal stone manufacturer
in the world today but many of the other
manufacturers are closing the gap fast. Along
with Austria other countrys now manufacture
quality rhinestones, most notably Czechoslovakia,
Germany, China and Israel.
Today
rhinestones are manufactured in many colours,
however clear  stones remain the most difficult to
make as the crystal has to be very pure and free
from defects.
We are
often asked what's the difference between
diamonte and rhinestone crystals? The answer is
quite simply nothing, it just another name for
the same product. Almost all our jewellery is
manufactured with quality rhinestones, with a
sparkle and luster that only real diamonds at
thousands of pounds could match. Why not have a
look at the many pieces in our wedding jewellery shop.
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