Adding rhinestones are the simplest way to vamp up your dresses for a different and fancy look. But using rhinestones for dresses that are ready made or custom made can be a bit tricky task, as you have to carefully draft out the pattern on which to apply the rhinestones as well as select the correct type of rhinestones for the type of fabric you are using.
Rhinestones can be applied on all types of fabrics but the type of the stones plays an important role in the designing of the dress. You have to determine according to the type of fabric which type of rhinestone would be suitable for your dress or garment. Whether it has to be Swarovski, Preciosa or acrylic? The design should be pointed, mounted or flat back? Attached as sewn or fixed with hot glue?
These things are very important to determine when you are planning to design your dress by adding rhinestones. Let’s learn the basics of adding rhinestones on your dresses in this article.
What are Rhinestones?
Rhinestones are ornaments that imitate real gems. They are made of lead crystal, glass or acrylic, with lead crystal being the highest quality, glass second and acrylic third in the quality range.
The main difference between these three types of rhinestones is in light refraction which determines the quality of the rhinestones. The refraction and reflection on the cut of the stones are what make the rhinestones shine.
Rhinestones can be made in two different ways, either machine cut or molded. Machine cut rhinestones are more vibrant than molded rhinestones because they are broken into new pieces that reflect light each time they are cut. Therefore, the more cuts there are, the higher the rhinestones reflect.
There are three basic types of rhinestones which are best suited for dresses and garments among other things.
– Swarovski
Swarovski is the highest quality of rhinestones that are mostly created in Austria. These stones have a special cut that is done to reflect more light and hence is a much more beautiful and costlier type of rhinestones available in the market.
Typically an Austrian cut Swarovski rhinestone has 14 facets which reflects more light. However, there are also 12 faceted rhinestones which are considered as a vintage cut for the stones.
– Preciosa
Preciosa is the most popular choice in rhinestones after Swarovski. These stones have a little less glimmer and shine as compared to Swarovski and also cost 20% less. In general, Preciosa stones are much more used because of their low cost and lower maintenance requirements.
– Acrylic
Acrylic rhinestones are the cheapest quality of stones that are available in the market. These are mostly made in China, Korea and other Asian countries. Vendors sometimes label acrylic rhinestones as Swarovski and Preciosa to increase their sale but the cheap price and the lack of reflection in the stones can easily give them away.
So, as you can see, the quality of the rhinestones is very important to select correctly for the type of garment you want to add them to. Moreover, using a flat back stone is much preferred to be used on fabrics instead of pointed back stones.
