Aurora Borealis - Where's the Love?

I was introduced to Aurora Borealis years ago, when I was given one of my Grandmas necklaces by my mother. Since then, I've noticed it's not a jewel you see being worn very often. I think people often assume that there are limited styles of Aurora Borealis jewellry, or that it's too dressy for most occassions today, as really it's a coated rhinestone, and you don't see those out much either.

Much of the aurora borealis I've seen at vintage fairs or stalls has been the kind of stuff that was given to me by my Grandmother, long strings of different sized aurora borealis rhinestones, or circular clusters of them for earrings. When my Grandmothers necklace broke however I went looking for a replacement, and stumbled across so many different styles of aurora borealis that I hadn't seen before.

Aurora Borealis was introduced in 1955 and seemed to fade out of popularity after the mid 60s, so if you're into the 50s its quite an 'accurate' jewel to be wearing! The coating on the rhinestones means it tends to reflect the colours around it. The other thing I find is that it's not as expensive as a lot of other jewellry I look at, for the simple reason that it's not as popular. You can pick up some really lovely clustered flower burst earrings for $10-$20 on etsy with aurora borealis detailing.

My favourite pieces however are the ones where they've been more creative with how they use the stones. This week I picked up a couple of earrings with some money I made off eBay. I've been watching these earrings for months and they haven't moved. If it were bakelite or celluloid, or even just plain rhinestones we were talking about they'd be long gone (or considerably out of my price range).

I got these gorgeous frosted pink glass earrings from etsy this morning. I love the shape of them and the way the rhinestones are dotted about on them. I've been wanting to get some more pieces of pink jewellry too.

These I've been watching a long time and I was convinced they disappear before I had the money for them. I adore the atomic swirl shape of them and the little faux pearls in the middle. And best of all, only $9, which is why I'm so shocked they didn't go sooner.

The swallow broach and leaf earing are fabulous, and both under $15. Unfortunately for me they sold before I got a chance to nab them.

The set above is two earrings and broach, made by trifari from what I remember. A lovely set in great condition, and for less than $30.

These vintage cuffs with aurora borealis in them tend to go for more money. You're looking at around $50-$80 depending on the style. The reason being more so that they're made with mid century plastic than because they have aurora borealis in them however.

Anyway, I felt Aurora Borealis was a little under appreciated, considering it can be a lot  cheaper to buy than other vintage jewellery options, and doesn't always have to be as formal/dressy as people think. But perhaps I'm wrong, and there's a secret society out there with a sincere love for the AB rhinestone. But it's certainly something I don't see people wearing out that much!

Ximena x