TNot everything that glitters is gold. It’s well known. But all that glitters isn’t diamond either. The proof is in rhinestones, a flamboyant companion for the end-of-year celebrations, “A kind of glass rich in lead and colored with metallic oxides, made to imitate diamonds and various gems,” defines Larousse online, without saying anything about its origins.
Rhinestone was born in 1746 and owes its name to Georges Frédéric Strass, an Alsatian jeweler who became prince of costume jewelry. Thanks to it, glass rises and competes with the noblest stones, to the point that it becomes perfectly acceptable to wear toc in social evenings. “I went to my jeweler, I had the diamonds removed and rhinestones put in place,” thus assumes, in her Memoirs, the courtesan Céleste Mogador, figure of All-Paris of the 19the century. This is because the composition of this “false diamond” gives it a high refractive index, and therefore to amateurs who wear it the assurance of radiating.
But at a time when the European Union has just banned sequins, another queen of bling including microplastics which compose it are found in abundance in the waters of the globe, the presence of a toxic metal such as lead in the rhinestone raises questions. And clashes with the environmental concerns that today force the textile industry to look for more responsible alternatives. The Austrian Swarovski indicates that, since 2012, its crystals, reputed to be denser, more solid and more brilliant, are simply devoid of any trace of lead – the details of their composition however remaining jealously guarded.
Nails and sometimes canines
Despite its flaws, rhinestones remain the ornament of choice for a pop culture in search of visibility. We remember Paris Hilton who, in 2002, celebrated her 21st birthday wearing a mini-dress designed by Welsh designer Julien Macdonald. Or the no less gleaming Jennifer Lopez, who is never without her XXL coffee cup entirely covered in crystals (whether for the Super Bowl, the inauguration of Joe Biden or the promotion of her new brand of cocktails, launched in April). Guest of the Met Gala 2023, it was the American singer Lil Nas famous pussy of the late Karl Lagerfeld.
Today, rhinestones even adorn the crease of the eyelid, the corner of the eye, the nails and sometimes the canines of a Generation Z nostalgic for the 2000s, which they barely knew and where everything sparkled. This is also the Y2K trend (Y for “year”, 2K for 2000), which appeared two years ago, which brought this little piece of glass or plastic back into fashion. All-over denim or a long Hollywood dress, adorning the neck or back, wrapping around the wrist or running up the leg, rhinestones continue to put on a show, whatever happens.
