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October 20, 2011 By Dru Cortez

A Quick Story on How Rhinestones Got Their Name

rhinestone-jewelry

If you collect vintage rhinestone jewelry, you are already aware of the brilliant and sparkling qualities of rhinestones but you might not be aware of their illustrious history.

Rhinestones were made of a leaded glass usually backed with a metallic foil of either gold or silver to bounce the light off the glass for added sparkle. The term rhinestone came from the Rhine River in Austria, back in the 1800s, when the river was filled with quartz pebbles in brilliant colors.   Rhinestones were made to imitate the brilliant colors in the quartz pebbles.  Although faux gemstones, or jewelry made with them, were initially looked down upon by the upper classes, this attitude changed when the higher quality standards in rhinestone production soon made beautiful jewelry an affordable investment for the masses and the rich gentry as well.

Snowflake-rhinestone-pin

Since the 13th and 14th centuries, glass was manufactured from two major regions, Czechoslovakia and Bohemia.  Initially glass was manufactured for functional objects like perfume bottles, vanity items, and other uses.  By 1918, the Czechoslavakian industry improved manufacturing methods and began to design and incorporate rhinestones into jewelry designs.

snowflake-rhinestone-pin2

But most notable of all was an invention in 1891 by Daniel Swarovski, who revolutionized the jewelry industry when he created a machine that could mechanically cut faceted glass. His invention replaced the industry’s practice of finishing the stones by hand.  In addition, he increased the amount of lead content in the glass to 32% which produced rhinestones of exceptional brilliance. He also developed a process that would vacuum plate the rhinestones with silver or gold foil reducing the need for this work to be done by hand.  Swarovski’s unrivaled improvements in the quality of his rhinestones and the streamlining of his company’s manufacturing processes skyrocketed the demand for Swarovski rhinestones.  He soon became the major supplier for over 85% of the American jewelry companies.

Still in production today, many of the vintage rhinestone jewelry pieces currently sought after by collectors sparkle with the brilliance of Swarovski rhinestones.

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Image credit: Flickr – Sherry’s Rose Cottage

October 19, 2011 By Dru Cortez

8 Ways to Use Vintage Wallpaper in Your Creative Projects

Vintage Wallpaper

If you are looking for something unique or want to spend more on the gift itself instead of the wrapping , you ought to try  to wrap a gift with vintage wallpaper.  However, don’t stop there!  There are many uses for this wonderful paper product.

Use vintage graphic wallpaper and or vintage fabric to cover boxes or scrapbooks.  Often these paperboard boxes can be found in varying sizes at discount stores for a few dollars each. The image below is a digital image of vintage wallpaper, click on the image below to access the free digital paper assortment available at Free Pretty Things For You.

pink-rose-vintage-wallpaper

Vintage Wallpaper Ideas

  • You can also use vintage wallpaper as giftwrap.  Whenever you go thrift store shopping keep your eyes out for wallpaper rolls.  Rolls frequently surface at flea markets, thrift stores and on eBay.  Wrapping presents with wallpaper, which is usually a little stiffer, can be challenging. In order to achieve crisp corners and creases, I suggest you invest in a bone folder tool which can help you achieve crisp, straight creases.
  • Search online for specialty shops that sell vintage wrapping paper.  Expect to pay higher prices as many of the wallpapers sold are discontinued patterns.
  • Use new wallpaper that has a vintage pattern.  Look for these remnants at decorating stores or ask friends or neighbors if they have leftovers from recent home renovations.
  • Even small remnants of wallpaper can be used with any scrapbooking project you may have.
  • Consider giving a favorite crafter friend several rolls of pretty wallpaper as a gift, which can be used to cover boxes, to line drawers, or to paper the inside of a cupboard.
  • If you have a roll of wallpaper that has very little paper left or you want to use sparingly, consider investing in a few rolls of Brown Kraft paper.  You know the kind of paper that is often used to cover packages you will be sending through snail mail, this paper can serve has a paper base for your gift and then you can use contrasting vintage wallpaper strips or trim to finish the project.
  • If you can’t bear to part with your beautiful paper, consider color photocopying the pattern and use it to wrap a small gift.  Many do-it-yourself office/print shops, such as Kinko’s or Staples, will color photocopy a single page 17” x 11” for under a dollar.

As with most vintage things, you won’t be able to go to your nearest Walmart  or Target to  pick up these items.  However, there are many e-shops on Rublyane, Tias and of course, Ebay that sell vintage wallpaper.  A recent addition to the handcrafted and vintage online shops is Etsy.  Many of the vendors on Etsy have made your search for vintage wallpaper easier as they provide scanned digital wallpaper available for printing at 300 dpi or digital wallpaper images at 72 dpi for online digital scrapbooking.  Prices will vary per vendor.

Esty Vintage Wallpaper Shops

Now more than ever, you will be able to find a whole lot of options for your vintage wallpaper needs.Try using the term “vintage wallpaper” or “ephemera” as your major keyword for your search.  Good luck and happy hunting!

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Image Credit Flickr by studioreb

October 19, 2011 By Dru Cortez

Halloween Collectibles : Book Review

Halloween book

Book Review:  Vintage Halloween Collectibles by Mark B. Ledenbach

Published by Krause Publications, c.2007, 207 pgs.; paperback – Subject : Halloween paper and decorative collectibles – List Price $33.99

This book is a price and identification guide for Halloween paper and decorative collectibles.  According to the author, since Halloween decorations were generally used once and then thrown away, unlike Christmas decorations which are usually used from year to year,( and thus put back into storage)  these items are very hard to find and highly collectible.  Their scarcity makes these collectibles more expensive than most other paper ephemera  and Holiday decorations.

The book is divided into several chapters that cover games, lanterns and shades, candy containers, noisemakers and diecuts.  Since this is a very niche collecting field of the larger ephemera collecting area, it’s no surprise that the bibliography only references five other books on the subject.

The book also includes:

  • 700 full color photographs – many items are in the author’s personal collection
  • Each entry is accompanied by a photograph, manufacturer’s name, date of production, dimensions, price for condition shown and a relative scarcity index scale of 1-5
  • The author has also included a brief history of Halloween collectibles, the current state of the market and advice on how to spot fakes or reproductions

If you collect holiday decorations and enjoy ephemera with vintage imagery, than this book is a must-have for your collection.  The book’s downside is that the history  section is very brief, only a few pages, but it makes up for this failing in great full-color photography and corresponding details for Halloween collectibles.

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The following video produced by Kovel’s Antiques on their Youtube Channel gives a pretty thorough view of what these collectibles look like.

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