Rhinestones are decorative items that mimic genuine jewels. They’re made of lead crystal, glass, or acrylic, with lead crystal being the best quality, glass being the second and acrylic being the third.

The difference between the three is in light refraction, and this is determined by the quality and the cut of the glass. Only light entering the glass can be reflected back, and the clearer the glass, the more light that is bounced back without being absorbed. Lead glass transmits light better than glass without lead, which makes cut lead rhinestones more brilliant than glass ones.

Rhinestones can be machine cut or molded. Machine cut rhinestones are more brilliant than molded ones because each cut breaks light into a new fragment to be reflected. So, the more cuts, the higher the glimmer value.

Shape

Rhinestones come in a range of shapes, and some common ones are navette, round, oval, pear, square, octagon and baguette.

Pointed, mounted, or flat back

 

 

• 
  Pointed: Rhinestones with a pointed back, and are mainly used in jewelry, not as a decorative element to clothing.
  
• 
  Flat back: Rhinestones that have a flat back. Used mostly for gluing or hot fixing.
• 
  Mounted: Rhinestones that have a metal casing around it in one of the two ways. With a tiffany set, a metal casing either wraps around from the back to the front of the stone or from the front to the back of the stone. In the case where the casing wraps to the front, holes are inserted at the back so that the stones can be attached with needle and thread. When the casing wraps the back, prongs are used to affix the stones by piercing through the fabric. With a rim set, there is a metal ring around the edge of a stone. There are no exposed prongs, but holes for needle and thread.

Sizing

There are many ways to attach rhinestones and several factors should be considered when deciding how you’re going to affix them. First, how will your garment be cleaned and how often? While glued rhinestones are said be machine washable, there’s no guarantee. Also, does your method of application parallel the garment’s care instructions? If your garment is dry clean only, then use the method of application that is dry cleanable.

Other factors to consider are that tiffany set rhinestones snag on clothing and hair, and pronged rhinestones can bother the skin. In the end, which method you choose depends on your personal preferences and the nature of your project.

• 
  Sew on: Rhinestones are mounted or have a carrier (tiffany or rim), and are attached using needle and thread. Sewing each rhinestone takes more time than the other methods, but it has a couture touch.


• 
  Glue on: Rhinestones are attached using glue such and Gem-Tac or Aleene’s. Surprisingly, rhinestones that are glued on are just as strong as rhinestones that are sewn on.


• 
  Hot Fix: Rhinestones with glue on the back, which is activated when heat is applied. Very quick application and the rhinestones and garment are both dry cleanable. Depending on size, hundreds of rhinestones can be set at one time. Not recommended for rhinestones larger than 30SS.

How to:

You'll need:

• Sew-on, mounted rhinestones


• Drafting paper


• Tracing wheel


• Marking pen or pencil


• Awl or hole punch


• Aleene’s Fabric Fusion


• Silamide Thread


• Beading needle


• Blouse or dress (example is the Laurel blouse by Colette Patterns, made without sleeves)


• Fabric and appropriate interfacing

Step | 01

Create the design. Using a regular pencil, map out your rhinestone motif on your facing piece. You can follow my design or create your own. If you've already purchased rhinestones, play around with the placement using the actual stones until you have a design. Then, mark layout with a pencil. If you haven’t purchased rhinestones, you can sketch it out. For my design, I wanted it to resemble a necklace, so I made the center motif the most intricate and scaled down as it got closer the shoulder seam. Also note that the height/width of your facing will be determined by your design.

Step | 02

Finish garment. Finish neck with facing and complete remainder of garment according to pattern instructions. Be sure to interface the facing using an appropriate fusible or sew-in. If your pattern does not have a facing, see the instructions in the sidebar below.