Brilliant Rhinestones by Ronna Aikins (2002, Hardcover, Illustrated)

I purchased this pictorial as a guide for evaluating vintage costume jewelry. The photos are nicely done,though a bit dark but if you prefer a guidebook that rates jewelry by manufacturer or designer,you may be disappointed.
Jewelry is categorized by rhinestone color and many of the pieces are unsigned,or there is no mention of designer. I found it to be more of a personal collection catalog of the writer, which if you are in the business of selling and not collecting this book is not particularly useful.
There are very few ,if any figurals included and as we all know in the vintage accessory world..are highly sought after!
The values quoted are also vague and I felt were somewhat inflated. I personally prefer the works of 'Marcia "Sparkles" Brown' as her Identification manuals are excellent! They are categorized by designer/manufacturer and the photos are professional. There is also great variety and very many figural pieces for your veiwing pleasure!

I bought this book about two months ago and I think its great! It is a wonderful book for anyone who collects or loves vintage rhinestone jewelry. This book has numerous color photos of all types of rhinestone jewelry, brooch, necklaces, earrings and matched sets. It is also a good reference book to help identify the many differant designers of the jewelry and to give an idea of what certain items might be worth. The book is five years old, but you can still get a good idea of what your jewelry might be worth. This is a rather large hardback book and also makes for a wonderful coffee table book. With the book being a bit older it was very reasonably priced, which makes it great for a beginner collector or to give as a gift. As a vintage rhinestone jewelry collector, I would definitley recommend this book to others.