What is an aurora borealis rhinestone?
I have an old pin I was told is set with those stones. A. The aurora borealis, or AB, rhinestone was first made in 1956 by the famous Swarovski company for Christian Dior. A rhinestone made of leaded glass was coated with thin bits of metal, then put in a vacuum and steamed. It left a permanent finish that looked like rainbows – a pinkish iridescence. You can date your pin by the stones. If it is a true AB rhinestone, it was made after 1956. Another method was used earlier, but the color was made with a coating on the back of the stone and can be scratched off. Q. I picked up a Welch’s Howdy Doody jelly glass set at an estate sale. It has a 1953 copyright on it, but someone told me the glasses were made in the 1990s. Is that true? A. While it’s possible someone has reproduced old Howdy Doody glasses, we haven’t heard about it. Welch’s packaged jelly in Howdy Doody glasses only in the early 1950s. There were two different sets of Welch’s glasses, each set with six glasses. Your set, wit
