| Figural jewelry pieces are little works of art, in the | | | | for wings, and Aurora Borealis iridescent rhinestones |
| shapes of people, plants, animals, places and things. | | | | made them shine. Little rhinestones became sparkling |
| Both vintage and contemporary jewelry designers look | | | | eyes. |
| to nature for inspiration. | | | | The bright colors of Lucite and Bakelite were perfect |
| In this article we'll focus on the insect world. The | | | | for insect pins. The carvings on plastic jewelry made |
| gorgeous colors of butterflies, the rotund bodies of | | | | for some intricate details. Art glass could be made |
| bees, the many shapes of other bugs lend themselves | | | | iridescent just like the body of a beetle. Starting a |
| to some of the most beautiful and popular figural | | | | collection of insect figural jewelry, or adding them to |
| jewelry. People who get the willies just thinking about | | | | your collection, is a great way to focus on a particular |
| insects are often avid collectors, and will wear their | | | | style. Some real finds are still out there. |
| "love bugs" with pride. | | | | The bee pin in the photo has red Aurora Borealis |
| Trifari "Jelly Belly" designs of the 1940s lent themselves | | | | rhinestones on the wings and dark red rhinestones on |
| to insect motifs, due to the round lucite "bellies" that | | | | the eyes and body. It was found at a thrift store for |
| can look just like a bug's abdomen. They came in all | | | | $1.99! As always, inspect any piece you want to buy |
| the colors found in nature, and some that were found | | | | very carefully. Use that jeweler's loupe or a strong |
| only in the imagination of the designer. | | | | magnifying glass to look for flaws, and with luck you'll |
| Rhinestones made wings and legs sparkle and glow. A | | | | also find the signature of the designer. |
| large rhinestone could be the body of the bug, and the | | | | Watch for the next article on figural costume jewelry - |
| wings could be studded with smaller rhinestones in an | | | | the selection is virtually unlimited! |
| all-over pattern. Oval shaped rhinestones were perfect | | | | |