Rhinestone Lipgloss: Fulfilling Your Desire For Horse Show Sparkle

By: Brittany Bevis

Custom is king in the horse show world. You can have a custom pad made to coordinate with your custom show jacket that also complements your custom show saddle. Sarah Pyles, the force behind a new company, Rhinestone Lipgloss, has taken the trend one step further with custom Swarovski embellished jewelry and accessories.

“I personally believe custom work in the industry is popular due to everyone’s desire for self expression,” Pyles says. “We see this in all aspects of life, and luckily the show and pageant industry is no different. As a designer, I’m grateful that Swarovski offers such a variety of colors, as it allows each of our customers to create an earring as unique as them.”

With only two short years under her rhinestone encrusted belt, Pyles has already snagged coveted partnerships with companies like Berry Fit Show Clothing and the All American Quarter Horse Congress Queen Contest. Her work is popular in the pageant world as well, making appearances in competitions like Miss America, Miss USA, Miss Rodeo USA, and Miss Rodeo America. One particular Professional Barrel Racer with a flair for fashion, Fallon Taylor, is a big fan.

“You can find our work in the Quarter Horse industry in nearly every discipline and on women such as Ellexxah Maxwell, Carly Kidner, Kaleena Weakley, Katsy Leeman, and Madison Pope, as well as numerous Queen candidates. We’re so excited to expand our clientele this year at the Congress, and we can’t wait to see our earrings and customers in the blue!”

In fact, Ellexxah Maxwell is the star of Rhinestone Lipgloss’ very first print ad that’s debuting in the Congress edition of The Equine Chronicle.

What makes this jewelry so special? In addition to the customizable aspect and quality of stonework, the biggest draw is what Pyles refers to as the Wonder Bread comparison. A slice of Wonder Bread weighs one ounce and Pyles’ sparkly earrings weigh even less.

“The main reason for the success of our jewelry is not only the quality of stones, but the weight of them, or rather the lack thereof,” she says. “Due to our bases being made of an incredibly lightweight composite material, that allows for a firm but flexible base, the stones are able to adhere to a very thin piece, thus removing the weight source found in most earrings. Rhinestone Lipgloss earrings, no matter how large, will not pull on your ears nor tangle in your hair. Anyone who has ever had heavy earrings on for more than a few hours knows how painful this can be. If done over a period of years, it can even cause cosmetic damage to the earlobes. Some of our pageant bases go as large as 4″ long by 2″ wide.”

Rhinestone Lipgloss is about much more than just earrings. Other items include tooled leather purse straps, custom clutches, belts, and boots. “Customers send us all kinds of things to embellish with Swarovski stones- from boots, clutch purses, and hats to running shoes and school and Congress jackets. We’re currently working on a stethoscope for a hospital nurse. We’re always looking for new ideas, so we welcome any new opportunities. We tool belts, dog collars, spur straps, headstalls, breast collars, cuffs, and welcome new ideas in that area as well. We have shipped leather work and earrings to eight countries.”

How did this all get started? Interestingly enough, Pyles’ former job was as a Chinese translator for a tool and die company. It was a chance encounter at the Congress back in 2014 that sparked the idea for her new business venture.

“I was competing at the Congress in Barrel Racing, and my mother had created a custom shirt for me, that I had embellished,” she says. “I had some extra Swarovski stones I used to build a set of matching earrings. A few girls I was running with noticed them and commented that they must be heavy on account of their size. I took them off and let them hold the pair. They were amazed at how light they were. They asked if I could make them a pair as well. By February of 2015, we were so busy that my, now, husband insisted I make a decision; either stop taking orders for Rhinestone Lipgloss or leave my job of translating Chinese. The practical side of me knew this was a crazy idea- who walks away from a 401k, a career I had spent years on (and a ton of money at Ohio State University), to embellish things with Swarovski stones and tool leather? Realizing this was the only time in my life I would have this opportunity, I took the leap. It was the most terrifying and amazing thing I’ve ever done.”

Because Swarovski offers over 100 colors, Pyles’ can customize jewelry to match virtually any horse show outfit, from elegant square studs for Hunter Under Saddle to elaborate creations better suited for Western Pleasure. Other benefits are the reasonable price and stone repair guarantee. “Stonework is generally where the bulk of the pricing comes from when designing show clothes. Because we’re only working with a few square inches, as opposed to yards of fabric, we’re able to provide our earrings at a reasonable price. Should one of our customers ever lose a stone, just send the earrings back to us at RL and we will repair and recheck the earrings for free. The customer only covers the shipping.”

Be sure to check out Rhinestone Lipgloss in person at the All American Quarter Horse Congress at the Berry Fit Company booth in the trade show for hand tooled leather purse straps, sling belts, and custom earrings. Also, many of the Queen contests will be sporting Pyles’ handiwork because Rhinestone Lipgloss is the official jewelry sponsor of the Queen’s Contest.