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Rhinestone Costume Jewelry

Rhinestone costume jewelry is the very definition of "bling". Most of the time, anyway -- there are pieces more subdued. But oh, the sparkle of the vintage rhinestone jewelry is what keeps us coming back.

What's Your Jewelry Style?

I did mention that there were costume jewelry manufacturers that had a more subdued sparkly rhinestone look. One example is Lisner; another is BSK. Florenza tends more towards a classic Victorian look as well, with less "bling".

But if you like lots and lots of sparkle, you definitely have a large selection to choose from! Kramer, Weiss and Eisenberg are three that immediately come to mind -- fabulous pieces! And if you want rhinestone jewelry to die for, Juliana will make your heart sing.

So deciding upon what amount of sparkle you want will help you to choose a manufacturer.

Rhinestone Costume Jewelry - What to Look For

The first thing you'll be wanting to check is that the stones have plenty of sparkle, and that there are no "dead" rhinestones. (Dead means dull and/or cloudy.) While one or two at the very back of a necklace might not matter too much, you're still better off having more sparkle.

Next, are the rhinestones pasted in or seated with prongs? Either can be beautiful, but pasted in stones can come loose and fall out much easier than prong-set rhinestones.

The good news is that pasted stones are usually easy to re-set with a little jewelry glue. The bad news is that sometimes the stones drop out without you knowing, and you may have to buy a replacement stone.

Which brings me to the other thing to look for -- missing stones. Once again, you can sometimes get a great deal on a piece of rhinestone costume jewelry that is missing a stone or two. And if it's in an inconspicuous place and easy to fix, it may be a deal.

But if the missing rhinestone is "important" (one of the main stones) or would be hard to match, you may want to pass on that piece of jewelry.