When a woman dresses up, she wants to look elegant. Elegance usually implies expense-an exclusive designer gown, and expensive jewels. However, elegance can also be achieved on a budget. To start with, instead of diamonds, rhinestone jewelry is perfectly acceptable. An even smaller budget is needed if the elegance is achieved through wholesale rhinestone jewelry.

At the turn of the Twentieth Century, dressing up was a big production. Dresses were long and complex, with, through the years, hoops, bustles, lace and embroidery, mutton leg sleeves, and other bulky decorations. In the 1920s, 1926 to be exact, new era dawned. Coco Chanel came up with the timeless dress-up dress: the little black dress. Starting around this time, women began to rebel against the confining clothing that they had worn throughout history. They decided it was time for simpler, shorter, more comfortable dresses. At this time, Coco Chanel designed a soft jersey dress that was sleeveless, had a wide neck, and ended just above the knee. Up to this time, women had never exposed this much of the arms, shoulders, neck, and legs.

Another surprise was the dress’s color. Until this time, black was reserved for mourning and funerals. So, in 1926, the little black dress came into being. And, while it has gone through many redesigns over the last 80 years, the original design is still as fresh today as it was then.

The little black dress’s best feature is its versatility. We began our discussion by talking about dressing up with elegance. There is nothing more elegant than a simply accessorized little black dress. For the woman of means, a few well-placed diamonds turn it into a head-turning ensemble. For the rest of us, rhinestones are a sparkly substitute. The quality of rhinestones varies. Austrian crystals are the finest. These stones, while much less expensive than diamonds, are not inexpensive. They have an extraordinary trait of catching and flashing the light. The next more reasonably priced rhinestones are made of glass with metal powder painted onto the back so that they can reflect light. The very least expensive rhinestones are made of acrylic. You may not want to wear acrylic diamonds with your little black dress, because, after all, acrylic is merely plastic. When you dress up your little black dress with rhinestone jewelry, the old adage that less is more is applicable. One or two small pieces will dress up the outfit. More than this will make you look like a lady of the evening.

However, the true beauty of the little black dress is not that it can be dressed up for an elegant evening but that it can also be dressed down for almost any other occasion. For a more casual cocktail party, leave off the diamonds or rhinestones and wear pearls. If jewelry doesn’t fit the occasion, a fabulous scarf or colorful belt will dress up the dress in an even more casual way. Another way to accessorize the little black dress is with a jacket. This jacket can be black for a grisaille look or a bright or pastel color.

Connor R Sullivan has noticed the recent increase of rhinestone jewelry sales on the internet. He has purchased wholesale rhinestone jewelry online for his small gift shop.