Precious stones are a decoration for any item, be it earrings and rings, or a phone case and an evening dress. But the downside is that they are expensive, and it is not always convenient to attach them to clothing.
To make stones more accessible and easier to use, rhinestones were invented. This word is often heard in women's conversations, but not everyone fully understands its meaning. And it is often believed that this is a plastic imitation of stones that costs a penny.
So let's figure it out What are rhinestones, what are they made from and what are they used for.
What are rhinestones and why are they needed?
Rhinestones got their name in honor of the person who invented them. Georg Strass from Alsace became famous for his skill in counterfeiting precious stones. He was the first to produce potassium glass with a high percentage of lead. This made it possible to make glass stones as close as possible to genuine diamonds, with a high refractive index of light and color play.
Rhinestones imitate precious stones and are used to decorate clothing, jewelry, home decoration, dishes, and manicure.This allows you to make something cheaper, but at the same time with the illusion of diamonds or other gems.
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Rhinestones can be sewn or glued. Those, in turn, are divided into thermal rhinestones and cold fastening stones; for rhinestones with holes and for products in tacs. Let's look at them in more detail:
Sew-on, used for textiles:
- flat with holes for sewing. Their bottom is flat for a tight fit to the fabric, and holes are drilled on both sides where the thread is attached. They come in different shapes - round, drop, square, oval, rectangle, etc.;
- in DACs. The stone has a more expressive shine due to its shape; instead of a flat bottom, it has a cone-shaped cut. This cut is used for diamonds and other precious stones. The rhinestone is attached to a metal bowl - a tsap; the tsap has holes for sewing.
The tsapa of sewn-on rhinestones acts as a holder, and is similar to a caste for fastening a stone in a ring.
Adhesive, can be used for textiles and hard surfaces, and their bottom is always flat:
- cold fastening. A special glue is used to attach to the surface. Moreover, different glue is needed for different surfaces - hard or textile.
- thermal rhinestones. Plates with hot glue are attached to their bottom. You just need to heat it up, the glue will be absorbed into the surface and the rhinestone will stick.
What are they made of?
There are only 3 materials for making imitation diamonds:
- glass;
- crystal;
- acrylic or plastic.
The first 2 belong to the expensive and middle segment. But acrylic rhinestones, no matter what type and color they are, remain the cheapest type. This happened due to the cheapness of the material and the initial result - rhinestones do not shimmer or shine like their glass or crystal counterparts.
Now let’s look at the glass, because here, too, not everything is clear.Prices vary in this area due to the quality of the resulting stone. If it is simply poured in a faceted form, the price will be lower. Because the play of light and radiance will also be lower. But expensive glass stones, after pouring into molds, are polished with a machine. This gives clarity to the edges, transparency and shine.
The most expensive rhinestones are made of crystal. They are as close as possible to diamonds in shape, transparency and play of light. The most popular crystals are Swarovski crystals. They are made from crystal of high transparency and purity, which is not found anywhere else in the world.
The quality of Swarovski crystal is explained by 2 versions:
- A secret ingredient is added to the crystal.
- High demands are applied to glassmakers - if even one stone is found to be defective, the entire batch is sent for melting.
Whatever the secret of perfect crystal, no manufacturer has been able to replicate its quality. And if we look at it in the long term, Swarovski crystals outperform even the most popular artificial diamond – cubic zirconia. This is due to the fact that cubic zirconia loses its transparency and fades over time, unlike crystal rhinestones.
Application area
The most popular area of application for rhinestones is clothing:
- evening and wedding dresses;
- stage costumes;
- theatrical costumes;
- clothing for dancing and sports - gymnastics, figure skating, etc.;
- baby clothes.
In addition to clothing, rhinestones are used for bags, mobile phone cases, shoes, and manicures. They can be found on keychains and jewelry
They are used to encrust teeth, decorate cars, cover wedding glasses of newlyweds, and handicraftsmen all over the world use them to make notebooks, postcards and pendants.
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