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Aurora Borealis 001~flipping treasures
Probably the best known special effect used on rhinestones is the aurora borealis coating.
Per Wikipedia "In 1955*, the Aurora Borealis or Aqua aura, a thin, vacuum-sputtered metallic coating applied to crystal stones to produce an iridescent effect, was introduced. Aurora Borealis tends to reflect whatever color is worn near it, and it is named after the Aurora Borealis atmospheric phenomenon, also known as the "Northern Lights".
As different coatings were developed and used on different colored rhinestones the effects became more varied.
*NOTE: The date 1955 is an estimate. Some sources put the date at 1954 and some as late as 1957. If you check the stones in the original package section you will find a package with the mark associated to "pre 1948" for a cardinal aurore boreale silver?!?!?
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2
Aventurine
Also being called Fluss. The process is the use of copper ore mixed with glass.
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3
Carnival Glass 001
Carnival glass is a pressed colored glass that gets its iridescent sheen from the application of metallic salts while the glass is still hot from the pressing. After that, re-firing the glass, brings out its iridescent properties.
The big difference between an aurora borealis finish and the finish on the carnival glass is that the color appears to be fused in to the carnival glass, where the aurora borealis finish is more of a coating.
Carnival glass has an almost oily appearance to it's surface and I was told if you hold carvinal glass up to a strong light source the colorful finish disappears. It has also been my experience that the carnival glass pieces are heavier with the stones being thicker than regular glass stones.
It was used to make beautiful pendants as shown here, but also was used in creating some of the most common rhinestone shapes, chatons, marquise, and pear shapes to name a few.
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4
Dragons Breath 001
Dragon's Breath is sometimes known as Mexican Glass Opal, Glass Jelly opal or Glass fire Opal. Dragon's Breath is a man made glass stone made to resemble a Mexican Fire Opal.
It has a wonderful blue to purple veil that floats in the stone. The stones can come in a variety of shapes and finishes and can be seen in foiled and art glass stones as well. I have seen it in a variety of colors from red orange (my personal favorite), pink, yellow, green and blue. I'm sure it can come in any color, but it is the veil that makes it a Dragon's Breath glass stone.
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5
Easter Egg / Stippled 001~flipping treasures.
The most popular name for these stones is Easter Egg because they resemble painted Easter Eggs. More recently they have been identified as Stippled Cabs or having a Stippled Finish. I have also seen them referred to as hand painted, but I have had no luck verifying that they were hand painted.
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Easter Egg 002~flipping treasures.
These stones can be found in a variety of colors. They have a bumpy beady surface that looks like the flocking on a Christmas Tree.
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7
Heliotrope 001~belle*dame
There are several types of stones that use finishes on the back of clear glass stones to achieve a special effect one of these is called Heliotrope. Most people see this color as purple and blue. But it is only reflections of purple and blue. If the finish is removed, you only see clear crystal. Here is a picture of Heliotrope with the finish and one that I scraped away the finish on the back. I could also do this with a Vitrail Medium stone.
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8
Bi-Color
Bi-Color stones are also known as Cuba and Kreol Rhinestones. The main difference between a Bi-Color stone and a Givre or Sabrina stone seems to be the fact that both colors are clear. They can come in any color combination.
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9
Givré vs Sabrina ~ flipping treasures
I found this description of Givré glass; "is a mix of transparent clear glass an a drop of opaque (silky) color."
I was taught that the word Givré comes from the French word for frost and that a Givré stone had a frosty river running through a clear glass stone. Then it came to be known as any color running through another color in a stone, then it went to another color running through a clear stone. I believe the current meaning is; "is a mix of transparent clear glass an a drop of opaque (silky) color."
I found this description of Sabrina glass; "a mix of opal (half transparent white) glass with a drop of (transparent or half transparent) color."
So according to these definitions, it is the transparency of the glass that distinguishes the difference between the two.
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Givré ~ shadow jewels
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11
Sabrina ~ Shadow Jewels
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12
Iris Rhinestones
Iris Rhinestones were created to imitate what is known as Iris or Rainbow quartz. The natural stone is clear quarts that has small internal flaws that cause an iridescent effect. See the first picture to see an example of this.
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Milk Glass
Milk Glass which is an opaque glass and is best known for being white, can come in any color and even have an Aurora Borealis finish.
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14
Mirror Backed Rhinestones
These stones have a mirrored back.
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15
Porphyr Stones
Are stones that are striped and made to appear in a pattern across the glass so the stripes show.
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16
Saphiret 001~flipping treasures
Saphiret Glass is a man made stone that combines real gold to sapphire colored glass. The result was a beautiful mocha colored glass with internal blue reflections that move with the movement of the piece in the light.
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Satin 011
Satin glass is the name for any glass that has been chemically treated to give it a satin finish. These stones are also called Frosted and Matte Finished.
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18
Swarovski Volcano 001~ Shadow Jewels
Swarovski volcano, similar to the Vitrail dark color but more vivid. The color on this stone comes from the finish on the back of clear glass.
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Watermelon
Watermelon stones have a green outer edge and a pink to red center. The same coloring as a slice of watermelon.
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Rainbow
These rhinestones look like a beautiful rainbow. These stones can also be seen on the Sarah Coventry bracelet named "Harmony" and are described as Rainbow rhinestones.
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