Winston Churchill said, "I am easily satisfied with the very best."  I couldn't agree with him more. 

A daunting task, truly, is it to satisfy those who have a passion for the things in life that are truly "the very best" in their class.  However, because we are a group of people with an equally intense passion for the finer things in life, we look forward to each day we spend specializing in our business of Swarovski rhinestones, because SWAROVSKI "Flat Backs" and "Hot Fix" rhinestones are truly the very best in their class.

I'm not writing this to bash other manufacturers of glass, acrylic, and plastic rhinestones, but I find it very difficult to EVER buy a rhinestone t-shirt or other item from a bargain store that is embellished with these types of crystals.   Not only do they look lack precision in their "facets" (the number of cuts in a stone), but they are devoid of brilliance--and isn't that what "bling bling" enthusiasts and designers are looking for?

 If you were to compare an authentic Swarovski rhinestone to any of the crystals you see applied on caps, t-shirts, flip-flops, etc. you too would have no doubt as to who was the superior rhinestone crystal.  Does this make me a "rhinestone snob"?  Probably a little.  Yet, throughout my years competing in national level collegiate and amateur horse shows, I am still stuck on Swarovski because of their diamond-like brilliance and "fire" when they are seen in any light.  From the tens of thousands of stones I have applied and seen in my 'design days', I ALWAYS easily satisfied by Swarovski, and so is everyone who sees Swarovski products. 

Don't miss out on the very best.  Always choose Swarovski rhinestones, crystal beads, and crystal components for your designs to ensure breath-taking, sparkling, "bling" brilliance!

We're here to answer your questions at any time!

We receive many emails asking about whether or not to use "Hot Fix" Swarovski Rhinestones or "Flat Back" (not hot fix) Swarovski Rhinestones on projects.

 Here is my personal opinion (having applied literally THOUSANDS of rhinestones to my leather show clothing, etc)...

While many people prefer to use the 'Hot Fix' Rhinestones, I personally like the old-fashioned way of the 'Flat Back' (not Hot Fix) and rhinestone Glue (like our 'GEM TAC' brand adhesive) because they hot fix stones sometimes fall off, either in the wash and or during normal wear.  On the other hand, Hot Fix rhinestones are easy to apply, as you can either iron them on, or you can use a hot fix applicator, like the "Kandi Kane" or "Bejeweler" hot fix tools.  They are great for creating lettering and your own designs on projects.

 You can also use a rhinestone settings, like a Rim setting (a circle around the stone) or a Tiffany setting (4 prongs around the stone set through the fabric from the inside), but this is also annoying and time consuming to me and either requires a special tool, or patience with an eyebrow tweezer!  Rim settings also take away from the brilliant faceting of each rhinestone, reducing the amount of surface area that the light is able to hit, which makes the rhinestones less "sparkly" in the end.  In delicate fabrics, the Tiffany and Rim settings can also snag the fabric and will rust if you wash the garment too often.  However, you can dry clean items with Rim or Tiffany settings, which is a plus.

If you are just starting out with crystal/rhinestones application,  I recommend is taking the time to hand glue the 'Flat Back' rhinestones and you won't be disappointed; they stay on and you don't snag the fabric. See how you like doing it this way (the application process does get faster with time and practice!) and let me know what YOU prefer!  They also wash well, and as long as you aren't hard on the garment, you shouldn't have too many stones come off.  (A typical number of stones to loose per 1000-2000 applied to a garment is 10)

I hope this has been helpful! Just let me know what you are thinking of using and I will help as much as I can! 

Additionally, I would greatly appreciate hearing of you experiences using different application methods and rhinestones!

 Please visit us again soon at our ebay store:  http://stores.ebay.com/lightning7supply

Sincerely,

Maggie