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Rhinestone Guy, Inc

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Dear Friends: Please read this!

There is a considerable product offering in our catalog. These notes will help to clarify differences and similarities in products, especially Rhinestones and their grades.

I will get this out of the way...it is opinion, MY opinion: I am asked daily which rhinestone to purchase...Czech or Swarovski. For almost all purposes, I choose Czech rhinestones for brilliance and flash. AND, cost enters the scene. Czech rhinestones are about 20% less expensive, do a better job at distances of greater than 4 feet, have serious "flash power," and in general, do the job better than Swarovski. Swarovski's new cut has killed the stone at distance...too many shadows develop within the stone. The very unfavorable Eurodollar exchange rate today makes Swarovski far too expensive for what you get. If your choice is up in the air, choose Czech Preciosa. Swarovski has spent a fortune on making everyone think that they produce the only stone worth using....NOT SO! Preciosa does not advertise, for their rhinestones are basically sold before leaving the factory..they do not have to advertise! When you purchase Swarovski, you are buying a NAME, not the goods. Phil Brandt, owner, Rhinestone Guy

Rhinestones:

There are two basic types of rhinestones: Point Back (Chaton) and Flat Back (Chaton Rose)

Most clothing decorations, today, are done with Flat Back rhinestones. Most jewelry applications use Point Back rhinestones. If you prefer the added brilliance of Point Backs in decorating clothing, Point Backs can be used, but cannot be glued to the garment. Here, Tiffany Mounts (described later) are used to affix the rhinestones to the garment. Mounting rhinestones is much more labor intensive than is gluing rhinestones to fabric. Mounting Point Back rhinestones to fabric will cause the fabric to pucker around the rhinestone to some extent. Gluing or Mounting Flat Back rhinestones to fabric will not disturb the fabric's lay.

Rhinestones are made of glass. Fine rhinestones have lead added to the glass to produce Lead Crystal, far more light reflective than glass. Preciosa MC and Swarovski are made of Lead Crystal. Korean and Czech Extra Grade of made of glass and are less bright than either Preciosa MC or Swarovski. All Point Back rhinestones (that we handle) are of Lead Crystal. Flat Back rhinestones are made of : Lead Crystal, Glass, or Acrylic. (Please note: There is NO acrylic stone that is as bright as glass, and there is no glass rhinestone that is as bright as Lead Crystal. Do not be deceived by pricing and think that 3 or 4 times the number of rhinestones applied to a garment will make the garment outstanding IF you use an inexpensive rhinestone.)

Rhinestone Brilliance is derived from: Type of glass used (Lead Crystal is far more bright than glass) and the Cut of the rhinestone.

The CUT of the rhinestone greatly influences its brilliance! Purchase the rhinestone with cut in mind. Rhinestones with more facets will glimmer more than those cut with fewer facets, AND rhinestones cut with fewer facets will flash more than those cut with a higher number of facets. We have found the perfect compromise to be 8-12 facets around the table (table is the flat top of the rhinestone). When more facets are added to the rhinestone, the reflected light is broken into more and more pieces, therefore each piece of reflected light is smaller. Understand that up close, the more facets a rhinestone has, the better it will look to your eye. BUT! The real test of a rhinestone is at a distance of intended viewing...Costumers design outfits that are showing at distances of greater than 4 feet. Here, in all cases, the 8-12 facet rhinestone will be superior in effect to rhinestones of higher cut facets. Unfortunately, people are people, and I am probably no different...we believe what we see, and we see rhinestones, when buying, up close. Consequently, Czech Preciosa has taken the compromise road and now produce 12 facets stones, called VIVA CUT. . We will continue to stock the 8 facet Preciosa as long as they are available, for I am still convinced that the 8 facet stone is superior in most applications of rhinestones. But when they are gone, they will be just that...gone. Please note, Preciosa now has a new glue for Heat Fixing to fabric. More about that later.

We offer our own brand of Lead Crystal Rhinestone, the RGA rhinestone, a very brilliant, 12 cut flat back rhinestone that compares favorably with both Swarovski and Czech Preciosa. The biggest difference is that the RGA rhinestone is considerably less expensive! AT this time, we offer the rhinestone in Crystal only.

Manufacturers of Rhinestones:

We have no preference as to manufacturer IF the rhinestone is of Lead Crystal and the cut is 8 facet. Older Swarovski (Austrian) is of 8 facets (Style 2000 in flat back, Style 1000 in Point back), but newer Swarovski is Style 2028 with 14 facets around a smaller table. We find that this rhinestone is NOT doing the job that costumers want. The rhinestone does shimmer, and up close, Swarovski looks very good. BUT at distances of 3-4 feet or more, the Swarovski rhinestone is not producing a 'high bling' effect.

We have changed our stance as to what crystal looks better in most applications, and find that true Bohemian Crystal is a far better choice than Austrian. These stones flash brilliantly and are different than the older rhinestones produced in the Czech Republic. We have found a great variance from manufacturer to manufacturer, and carry only the highest quality crystal produced by Preciosa. This rhinestone comes in varying grades, therefore INSIST on Grade One! Grade One Preciosa is one of the finest stones we have seen, and is comparable to the Swarovski Style 2000 (no longer made). Preciosa has invested multimillions of dollars in re-tooling their plant in the past years and is producing an extremely fine product that does what rhinestones are supposed to do...FLASH and add brilliance. Here, I must add that as far as CRYSTAL color, Swarovski is better than Preciosa...a little brighter. But the difference is small and if you are purchasing a lot of these stones, consider the Preciosa...unless Preciosa and Swarovski are compared side by side, the difference cannot be seen. As of August, 2009, the Czech Preciosa rhinestone will change over time to the VIVA Cut, a 12 facet stone with a nice size table...I like the flash and glimmer of this stone, find it does what a rhinestone is supposed to do, and runs about 20% less in cost when compared to Swarovski....

Rhinestone Guy Machine Cut Rhinestones: Available in most sizes, are fully machine cut rhinestones of very high quality for their cost. The clarity is very good, the cuts are specified by us to be 8 facet with good table for maximum light reflection and minimal internal shadowing. These stones are a very good choice for those on a budget. We have specified the cut and clarity for our use and are proud to offer them to the public. We do not put our name on junk. This stone is made for us by the world's leading lead crystal producer.

WE have picked up a new line of High Lead Crystal (30% by weight!), brilliant, 12 facet rhinestone labeled RGA ! In our opinion, for the money, you cannot beat this stone, period! Today, it is available in Crystal only, glue or mount on...look for a complete line in this stone soon. Comment from Phil:" There is no reason to select any stone but the RGA if you are buying Crystal color! This stone is brilliant, very well faceted (machine cut) and cannot be beat due to price and appearance. Swarovski may look better at 2 feet, but that is an illusion. This stone is made by the world's leading manufacturer of lead crystal.

Rhinestone Guy 2X Rhinestones: These are available in Heat Fix variety only. The stones are fine for many applications, adhere well at 310 degrees F, and in general, surpass many stones found on clothing at retail chains. There is a definite market for this rhinestone in the Heat Transfer arena of clothing. This stone generally surpasses that of Korean stones you find in the market place. The colors are good, the cut is fine. This stone fills a niche for the cottage industry where every penny counts. In this day and age, it is the bling that counts, not the "name." Here, we afford our clients the best stone for the money. It is obvious that if you are producing clothing that you sell for lower dollar, you cannot apply expensive rhinestones and turn a buck. The Rhinestone Guy 2X cut is the answer to that problem. We use these stones internally for lower priced heat transfers and have no problems with them. And we have no complaints as to quality...in fact, we are praised that we can offer this stone at remarkably low prices.

Acrylic Rhinestones:

Acrylic rhinestones have their place where decorations are added to inexpensive clothing. Make no mistake about it, these rhinestones do NOT sparkle like the real thing because acrylic does not transmit light as does glass or lead crystal. BUT, their cost is attractive for children's wear and single-use costumes. AND, not all acrylic rhinestones are created equally! We handle only premium acrylic. Acrylic rhinestones are made by molding. Occasionally, mold tabs are present that have to be broken off the rhinestone before using...not many, but a few have these tabs. We do like the acrylic jewels, not only for cost, but in many instances, we feel they look better than do the Czech fire-polished jewels which are more expensive. If you are gluing acrylic rhinestones to fabric or other items, do NOT use Super Glue or similar glues. We strongly suggest using only GemTac for acrylic rhinestones. Cost for cost, we feel the RG 2X rhinestone to be superior to the best of acrylic stones!

There is one advantage of acrylics over crystal rhinestones...the mirror backing is an integral part of the stone, whereas glass and crystal rhinestones have the mirror applied as a coating. The coating can peel from the glass. This is especially important when gluing larger stones, such as cabochons, faceted jewels, etc.

Acrylic Rhinestones certainly have their place...If you are stuck with a houseful of kids on a rainy day, give them acrylic rhinestones and a Bedazzler, get out a bunch of old Tee Shirts and let them go to town! This will entertain them for hours! And these rhinestones are lead-free

Due to a lack of interest in Acrylic rhinestones, we are phasing these rhinestones out. We will continue to carry Acrylic jewels (Large, flat back decorative rhinestones that certainly have a place in the costuming industry. As for the smaller sizes (20SS - 48SS,) see "Super Sale" section of our site.

Heat Fix, Iron-On, and Heat Set Rhinestones:

These rhinestones are the same as above, except each flat back rhinestone has a heat-melt glue on the back ready for gluing by heat. Czech Heat Fix stones have a glue that melts and adheres at about 305 degrees F IF the stones are 8 facet, but please note! The Viva Cut Czech Preciosa rhinestone has a glue that melts at approximately 290 degrees F....low enough so as not to damage almost all fabrics. We have tested this stone and found it to be resistant to chemicals used in dry cleaning, but we do NOT guarantee this....just know that for most applications, dry cleaning is an option.

Swarovski has been producing the style 2028 for several years now, BUT, at this time, there are style 2012 still out there on shelves. ...be careful as to what you are buying. The style 2012 requires from 340 - 375 degrees F. IF your fabric is easily damaged by heat, these are not the stones for you! Most Swarovski rhinestones sold today are style 2028, which has glue that melts at 305-310 degrees F. BUT! There are many of the older glue still available, especially in the heat fix shapes, such as navettes, squares, etc...make sure you know what you are buying, for the older glue will not adhere at the lower temperatures....NEVER mix the two stones in the same transfer or setting process...If the heat is high enough for the older stone, the newer stone's glue will wick out into the fabric and leave the stone without sufficient glue to stick! Here, bond stones with the older glue first, then come back in and used lower heat to bond the newer stones...a two step mounting process.

Advances is Heat Fix glue have been substantial in the past few years...these stones behave very well, but we do suggest that smaller is better than larger here. Larger HF stones can peel from their backing over time. In transfers, we prefer using SS6 and SS10 for the bulk of tranfers. We use SS16 and SS20 when requested. We warn you to NOT use stone sizes greater than 1 stone size larger when mixing sizes (except SS6 and SS10 we consider the same when mounting)....therefore, you can use SS6, SS10, and SS16 in the same transfer without problems, or SS 16 and SS 20 in the same transfer, but we do NOT advise using SS6/SS10 and SS20 in the same transfer due to the glue's nature when setting. I hope this makes sense to you...if not, call me and I will walk you through it. Phil

Heat Set rhinestones are becoming more and more popular...they are the only way to go for large patterns. Here, you can us transfers pre-made in patterns of your choice. I believe the heat set stones to be clumsy when setting one stone at a time, for it takes a lot longer to mount the stones with heat than it does with glue. Small rhinestones (SS6 through SS16) seem to fare very well with the heat process. Larger stones will have a tendency to be ripped free in high-abuse areas of garments. Here, glue seems to hold the stones better.

In general, we now have full faith in Heat Set rhinestones (called: Heat Fix, Heat Set, Iron On....all mean the same thing)

We do NOT advise using an iron to set these stones. For transfers, we highly recommend using a heat press (If you are setting only a few transfers, and it is a one-shot deal, then take your shirts/transfers to a tee shirt shop and have them apply them...the cost is low.

Colors of Rhinestones and Jewels:

Crystal: diamond-like, clear, no color, the rhinestone most often seen
Transparent Colors: Gem-like colors, often named after the gem they imitate, such as: Emerald (green), Peridot (lime green), Sapphire (royal blue), Amethyst (purple), etc. If the name has 'Light' before it, it is a paler version of the color.
Colors AB: these stones are produced by adding an Aurora Borealis coating to the stone. The coating will cause a prismatic effect in light refraction, casting all colors of the rainbow, with the base color showing through. Crystal AB results when a 'Crystal' color has an AB coating applied. This stone will cast mild colors in all ranges. Lately, we like the colors AB of Preciosa better than those of Swarovski, the coatings are lighter on the Preciosa, and therefore, more of the stone's color shows through.
Effect Colors: Special colors produced by polarization of the glass and coatings, usually producing two or more different colors, depending upon how light is hitting the stone. Both Czech and Swarovski produce these stones. Both Preciosa and Swarovski produce gorgeous effect colors. Unfortunately, these stones tend to vary from lot to lot, some darker, some lighter.

Please order the color chart to see all of the above colors in action! Color charts are produced in actual rhinestones, with rhinestones for each size mounted across the top of each card. The chart has all Swarovski AND Czech Preciosa rhinestones on it. But in fairness to you, ALL manufacturers experience lot differences in colors. Transparent colors tend to vary little, effect colors can vary considerably from those presented on the color chart....this is not our fault, it is just how the manufacturing process goes.

Czech Jewels: These stones are in a state of change, for the better. Right now, they are priced right, but the faceting is inferior to Austrian products. The same applies to the sew-ons (Exception...Czech Machine-Cut Pendants and Beads are very good ). AND the price reflects the difference. These are 'Fire-Polished' stones, meaning they are cast and then finished by heat. (They are NOT CUT). Large stones are disappearing quickly...too difficult to make.
Swarovski Drops (Pendants): Excellent cut, color, clarity, available in many sizes in crystal, crystal AB, transparent colors, and colors AB. (Industry Standard)
Czech Drops (Pendants) and Beads (tin cut, table cut, or machine cut...all the same thing) Excellent cut and clarity, available in crystal, crystal AB, transparent colors, and colors AB. These are Machine cut and polished and are also industry standards.
Austrian Jewels: Excellent quality in color, clarity, and cut. More expensive than Czech, but worth it. These stones are fully cut or cast (depends upon the stone, but all are great), polished.
Flat Back Rhinestones: Faceted Table and sides with very thin girdle, flat on the back, with mirror coating to help with light reflection. The standard stone for glue mounting. Does not pucker fabric when mounted with rim or tiffany mount. True name is 'Chaton Rose'
Pointed Back Rhinestone: As the name implies, has pointed back like a diamond. Not suitable for gluing, so use rim or Tiffany mounts instead. Can be set with a Rhinestone Punch, will somewhat pucker fabric when mounted. Usually has metallic coating on back for light refection. Better reflecting power than flat backs and break up reflected light better due to facets on back of stone (flat backs rely on mirror coating on back to reflect light, pointed backs do some of the reflecting themselves. Rarely used for gown ornamentation. Cubic Zirconium stones have NO coating on back, but have become too expensive to adorn garments.
Jewels: These are simply large Rhinestones of various shapes, such as Emerald cut (rectangular), Square Cut, Oval Cut, Round Cut, Triangle Cut, Heart Shaped, Navette Shape (similar to 'Marquis Cut), Pear Shaped, and may be of glue/mount style with no holes (IF Flat Back), or of sew-on type with holes bored in the edges for sewing onto fabric. Come in colors, crystal, and often Crystal AB. Available as Flat Back, Pointed Back, Sew-on. IF a 'jewel' is rose-cut, that means it has a flat table on top (not faceted over the top). Many of these jewels can be mounted with either tiffany mounts or rim sets. BUT, before ordering jewels to attach with mountings, refer to our 'Mountings' page to make sure a suitable mount is made for a specific size jewel.
Lochrosens: These are Round Rhinestones, measured in Millimeters (MM) and have a hole bored through the center for thread attachment to fabric (usually a rochaille or seed bead is use in conjunction with the stone for attachment). Very pretty when used for accents or where affordable, quality rhinestones are to be sewn on.. Please note: Use only Japanese Quality Crystal/Silver lined seed beads to mount these. (Chinese and Taiwan beads will discolor over time!)
Coronas: Same as Lochrosens, except square shaped. Very Bright, well cut, polished. Have flat back. Swarovski or Czech are available. See Lochrosen about mounting
Margaritas: Same as Lochrosens, except flower shaped edges. Very good cut, Swarovski or Czech, See Lochrosen about mounting. Use only Japanese quality seed beads.
Cabochons: Domes of polished glass, mirror coated flat back, very similar to star sapphire stones seen in jewelry. Very good for accent, available in round or oval, are un-faceted, and are offered in colors, clear, and AB. Have flat back. Some AB colors available. These can be mounted with rim sets relatively easily IF rim setting is available for the size of stone desired...check Rim Set sizes before choosing size of cabochons!
Rauten Roses: Similar to Cabochons, but are faceted. Available as rounds, Ovals, or Navettes (Marquis shaped). Have flat back. Do not have a flat 'table' on top of stone, as opposed to a 'large' rhinestone offered by Swarovski. Rautens are fire polished, so do not expect the dazzling cut look of Swarovski.
Chaton Roses or Chaton roses: Another name for Flat Back Rhinestones.
Chatons: Pointed Back Rhinestones
Rose-Cut Jewels: Have a flat table like a rhinestone, as opposed to a Rauten Rose which is faceted over the top. Very nice jewels! An easy way to describe this stone would be: It is a very big flat back rhinestone!
Mirrors: Thin mirrors cut into shapes of round, square, oval, triangle, rectangles. Measured in Millimeters (MM). Excellent for light reflection where sunlight or spotlights are used. Cast rays of light (Rhinestones glimmer). Use with Rim mounts to cover edges. These mirrors are also available in Prime Acrylic, are lightweight, and good, will not break (glass can break), but will scratch more easily, so care must be taken when cleaning them....use soft cloth, never paper. But again, Acrylic does not have the refractive power of glass, and the surfaces can be wavy.
Mountings: Basically two types, Tiffany and Rim
Findings: the metal stuff that stones and jewels are mounted in, such as earring posts, brooches, beading pins, clasps, jump rings, chain, etc.
Rhinestone Chain: Rhinestones (chatons) mounted in metal findings, linked together with flat metal links. (Usually sold by the inch in fabric stores), available in gold or silver settings, crystal or crystal AB stones of some size (measured in SS), and special order in colors. (Rhinestone Chain can be found under 'Banding' here. We sell chain by the yard...much cheaper than you will find in fabric stores!
Rondelle: ring or shape, usually round, with hole in center for stringing with beads. Rhinestone Rhondelles are rings of rhinestones mounted in metal finding with hole in center, used as bead separator. Sort of disc shaped. Rhondelle beads are usually discs with a hole in center. If using rhinestone rondelles with round beads, choose the rondelle size one mm bigger than the bead size. The beads 'snuggle' into the center of the rondelle.
Tiffany Mounts: Prongs that come up through fabric and wrap around stone edges (like a ring's setting). They are very inexpensive, easy to use, BUT will snag everything in sight. We do not recommend their use on sweaters. Choose Tiffany mount of same SS or MM as jewel or stone for mounting. Available for all sizes and shapes of stones.
Rim Mounts: Surround edge of stone with solid ring (bezel) with prongs going down into fabric, bending over on the reverse side of the fabric. Will not snag surround fabrics, but your garment should be lined to protect you and your underclothes from the "tabs". Available in all sizes and shapes, measured in SS (for mounting rhinestones 12 SS through 48SS) and in MM ( for mounting jewels and larger rhinestones, mirrors). If a stone measures 15MM, then mount with a 15MM rim.

Rhinestone Sizes: No, the system does not particularly make sense to me either! But, it is enough to know that rhinestones, nail heads, and some jewels are sized by Jewelry Trade nomenclature. Since we cannot change it, we joined the bandwagon and attempt to explain what the sizes mean. Please have a millimeter ruler on hand to figure all this out. (most rulers have an 'inch' side and a metric side (labled 'CM'...each CM (Centimeter) is 10 millimeters, and the little marks between each CM are millimeters.)

SS sizes: SS stands for 'Stone Size,' an arbitrary jewelry sizing of stones, correlates to a millimeter diameter range, i.e., 20SS is 4.6-4.8 mm diameter. See Size Chart for sizes

PP Sizes: PP stands for 'Pearl Plate', a sizing device for pearls. the larger the PP size, the larger the rhinestone. Small pointed back rhinestones are sized in PP, i.e., 3PP, etc. PP sizes have a relationship with SS sizes, for easy usage, figure !/2 the PP size roughly equals the SS size (or so)...PP sizing is more accurate than is SS sizing.

Glue and Rhinestones:

It seems that everyone has an opinion about glue, what glue, when to glue, glue is better/sewing is better, and .................. but since I am the one that is writing, my opinion counts more!! Whether to glue or sew/use mounts is more a question of future use than what is better or easier. So: IF your garment/item must be dry-cleaned somewhere/sometime, DO Not use glue. All glues currently in use are sensitive to the cleaning fluids used ( including iron-on types ). The fluid deteriorates the glue, and discolors it. Therefore, if you are stoning velvet, AND you plan to use it to the point that it must be cleaned, then either mount or sew on the stones. If you plan to use pointed back stones, they will have to be mounted. Otherwise, glue IS the choice. It is fast, easy, and 'do-able' where thousands of stones are to be used. Both Swarovski's and Czech Preciosa's Heat Fix glue is dry cleanable today. No one will guarantee this to be true, for NO ONE knows what cleaning fluids may be used...but in normal cleaning applications, the glue stands up well.

Choice of glue: There's a lot of choices here, we have preferred 'GemTac' for strength and consistency in the past, - dries clear, doesn't glop out of dispenser, and if used correctly, hangs on to the stones very well.

Most stone loss, after gluing, is the result of technique rather than glue failure. Always press stone into glue, put down just enough glue to come out around stone when pressed into glue (just barely). When gluing larger Jewels, it is VERY important to capture the edges with glue. No silvered backing can support the weight of the stone. The stone will break loose from the silver backing, fall off, and leave a very shiny silver shape stuck to the garment. And do not lay down so much glue that the surface will skim-dry before the stone is set into it. We strongly suggest using 'Applicator sticks' when stoning...much faster, much easier, and you don't need tweezers. These glues are usually white in the bottle, but dry clear, are water soluble before drying, and withstand washing very well. GemTac dries clear and has elasticity. It sticks to everything I have used it on, and especially glass (where I got sloppy and forgot to clean it off....razor blades had to be used to scrape it off.) I have glued 150,000 rhinestones to a motorcycle with Rhinestone Guy Glue, and have not lost one stone, even with serious washing and cleaning! (Yes, we sell glue and Applicator sticks.)

Other glues in use include E6000...good, strong, fast drying, but leaves strings of glue when you pull back. don't even think about hot glue guns...failure is very high. Super Glue is great for the fast fix, but not in the long run...too thin, runs out into fabric. Epoxy glues are strong, but highly allergenic (do not get this stuff on your skin, do not inhale fumes...it is only a matter of time before you will develop an allergy to it, and when you do, the body's reactions can be very strong, as in open sores, swelling, oozing, need I say more? AND, you can develop an allergy to it overnight...Surprise, Surprise!)...good for jewelry, but not garments. Epoxies usually do not have elasticity. OK for Belt Buckles, but rough sand the metal before setting with Epoxy. These glues are available in most hardware stores as a two part dispenser that must be mixed before using. Do not mix very much at one time, as it begins to set within seconds, and is very temperature sensitive. DO NOT allow water to mix into glue, as you will have a gummy mess. Do NOT get this stuff on your skin! It is not water/soap soluble. Use Acetone only if you must, Acetone goes into the skin and can affect kidneys!

DO NOT USE 'Super Glue' with acrylic stones...damages surfaces. Do not dry clean garments with acrylic rhinestones...they will be dulled.

Terms: SS: "Stone Size", used for flat back and larger pointed back stones. 8SS = 2.3 mm, 10 SS = 2.8 mm, 12 SS = 3.1 mm, 16 SS = 3.9 mm, 20 SS = 4.7 mm, 30 SS = 6.4 mm, 34 SS = 7.1 mm, 40 SS = 8.9 mm, 42 SS = 9.1 mm, 49 SS = 11.1 mm

            pp: "Pearl Plate", used for pointed back stones up to about pp35. Roughly, 1/2 pp = SS, but not exactly. (this name comes from pearl sizing techniques where a plate has holes of a certain size drilled in it so pearls of that size or smaller will fall through)

            AB: " Aurora Borealis" Coating on rhinestone to produce rainbow of color reflection. Very effective on Crystal rhinestones, used on colored stones to enhance reflection. AB coating make stones "shine" more under spotlights. (our opinion).

            Tin Cut: High precision cutting of beads and drops, vastly superior to "fire polished", the difference between Cut Glass and Molded glass.

            Fire Polished: Translation: molded glass, facet edges not as sharp as cut facets (machine cut)

            Seed Bead: tiny, usually round beads of some color, with a tiny hole for stringing or sewing. Use with BEADING NEEDLES, as normal needle is too big to go through hole. Used for decoration, sewing sequins to fabric (bead in center), attaching Lockrosens, etc. Use size 13/0 or 11/0 seed beads to mount Lochrosens, Margaritas, or Corona rhinestones. Use Japanese quality only, as these beads do not discolor with time as does the Chinese or Taiwan versions. (Silver lining will tarnish in Chinese and Taiwan beads with time).

            Bugle Bead: graded by size from 1 to 5, then in mm. The longer the bead, the more easily it is broken. Expect broken beads in your order! Look like little tubes with very small hole running length of bead. Available in colors, AB, silver lined, etc. Use Beading Needle to sew or string. Note: If you are making a costume, etc. that you expect to use for years, USE Japanese quality beads, more expensive, but silvers and reds will not discolor over time as with Chinese/Taiwan beads.

           Rochaille Bead: very similar to a seed bead.

            Cut Beads or Tin Cut Beads: This is the critter used for necklaces, bracelets, etc. Highly cut and polished jewelry grade beads sized in mm (from 3mm to about 18 mm) available in most colors and AB coatings. Have regained popularity BIG TIME to the point where supply cannot keep up with demand. Expect these guys to rise in price sharply! Produced by Swarovski and Czech, beautiful to look at, very durable. Use for fabric decorations, strings, bracelets, necklaces, etc.

              BiCone (Bi-Cone) Bead: Same as Diamond Cut Bead, very popular when used by themselves or mixed with round and or cube beads.

            Fire Polished Bead: faceted beads, similar to Cut beads, but do not have the sharp facets that cut beads exhibit. MUCH less expensive than Cut Beads. Available in huge color range, AB, and effect colors. Used in inexpensive (K-Mart) strands, but can be great for costuming, especially when making beaded fringes!

           NAIL HEAD SIZING: sized either by SS sizes or Nail Head sizing...small nail heads are measured in SS, larger ones are Nail Head sizes...very confusing, even to us! A 48SS size is (rhinestone, 11mm diameter) is equal to a size 60 nail head diameter! (Please do not call me and ask me "why."   I have no idea, nor do I particularly want to take on the industry in this insanity of sizing!

We hope the above is helpful. If you have questions, please Email or call. If we don't have the answer, we will get it for you.

Phil Brandt, Rhinestone Guy

rhinestoneguy@yahoo.com

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