# how do I know that if I order hotfix Swarovski that it is real Swarovski ?



## nvarner (Apr 16, 2009)

Hello!

I'm new at all of this and I'm getting down to finalizing my company logo.

The logo will appear on the back of some shirts between the shoulder blade area, I'm thinking it will be about 10.5" x 8". The logo has a "C" in the middle and I'd like to do that "C" in rhinestones.

My first question is how do I know that if I order hotfix Swarovski that it is real Swarovski ? I want to use this on my high-end crystalized shirts.

Second: for the lower end shirt what is the best hotfix rhinestone to use? Korean?

I will be discharge printing or DTG printing my design which will include the "C" in my logo that I want to add the rhinestones on. Will these stick without issue and if so, will I be able to add them without burning the design of my shirt?

Third: Because I don't know the audiences' reception yet should I, can I , just make this hotfix "C" item myself and buy a heat press and add it to the garments? 

If necessary, so that you may see what I'm referring to, I can upload a picture of the logo as it is almost finalized.

Thanks in advance


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## rhinestoneshirts (Mar 15, 2008)

As long as you purchase swarovski from a reputable vendor, you should have no problem getting the real thing. Reputable vendors will not sell you something else in place of swarovski. I do not do swarovski so I am not sure if they come packaged in swarovski packaging or not. I know a lot of people on the forum use them and if search for vendors you will find a lot here. You could also contact swarovski directly for a distributor.

I mainly use korean stones. They are nothing comparable to swaroski but are nice for the price. Just make sure you do not get Chinese rhinestones because they are definietly not worth it.


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## nvarner (Apr 16, 2009)

Thanks for your reply. I found some information online about making sure the package was sealed and with the official holographic swarovski trademark.
Do you have a particular vendor you like price and quality wise for the Korean rhinestones?


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## HotFixQueen (Jul 3, 2007)

Look for Swarovski's Official Logo when looking for a reputable Swarovski Partner. Check out www.create-your-style.com




nvarner said:


> I found some information online about making sure the package was sealed and with the official holographic Swarovski trademark.


Swarovski has changed their packaging quite a few times in the past years.. just recently too, so you will not be finding that holographic logo on any new packaging.. you do need to be careful of the cut you get too as Swarovski came out with the Xilion Rose 2028 (14 facet) a few years ago.. and yes I'm sure there is quite a bit of stock out there in the 2012 (12 facet), discontinued colors and HTF.. yes there is a quality difference. 

I've attached a few photos of the packaging.. The 1st is the 2012, there is no seal on this packaging at all; it can be opened and stones can be taken out and you wouldn't know unless you counted. 2nd is the new #2028 Xilion holographic packaging that is sealed, which if changing over to the 3rd pic the cream colored packaging(newest and current packaging).



rhinestoneshirts said:


> They are nothing comparable to Swarovski but are nice for the price.


I have to disagree, as much as everyone knows that Swarovski is the best in the world and the most brilliant stone there is a comparable stone out there at a nice price. Preciosa make a beautiful stone called VIVA12, they have 12 facets and are also leaded crystal. It is unbelievable how hard it is to tell them apart.. I've uploaded a few pictures of them.. Can you tell them apart? The smallest stone in these pictures is a ss20. I’ve included a picture of them side by side in the same picture so that you can see the color variation of the Crystal Volcano.

good Korean stones are a great low cost alternative.. when your talking about a ss10 or smaller stone it gets harder to see the imperfections in the facets which in turn makes it harder for someone to tell the difference between that and a higher cost stone..


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## nvarner (Apr 16, 2009)

Thanks HotfixQueen for the very detailed response. I'm so new I'm not even sure what size stones it would take to fill the "C" in my logo. I don't mind doing it by hand since it will only be about 5 shirts with the rhinestones to begin (Me,My partner, my brother and 2 models) when we introduce the "collection" at an event. I'm not sure how to make this image smaller sorry


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## agensop (Dec 11, 2008)

how big is the c? i believe 2 mm stones are the smallest will probably fit well in this situation.




nvarner said:


> Thanks HotfixQueen for the very detailed response. I'm so new I'm not even sure what size stones it would take to fill the "C" in my logo. I don't mind doing it by hand since it will only be about 5 shirts with the rhinestones to begin (Me,My partner, my brother and 2 models) when we introduce the "collection" at an event. I'm not sure how to make this image smaller sorry


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## agensop (Dec 11, 2008)

rereading, i know if your doing this with plastisol inks you may have issues with the stones staying adhered to the design unless you create a patteren for them to stick too where their is no ink. it you create an area for it to go directly through to the shirt you will be o.k. there was a similar question posted a few weeks ago.


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

Hotfix queen great info, and i totally agree with you on the stones,, and the korean as well..
glad to have someone here that really knows there stones,,
What is your opinion on the machine cut?

Most of the designs now , seem like they are taking on average of 5 gross of stones or more,, which can add up, when using Swarovski stones, but beautiful
thanks for the great response 
Sandy Jo


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## nvarner (Apr 16, 2009)

agensop said:


> rereading, i know if your doing this with plastisol inks you may have issues with the stones staying adhered to the design unless you create a patteren for them to stick too where their is no ink. it you create an area for it to go directly through to the shirt you will be o.k. there was a similar question posted a few weeks ago.



I'm still planning as this will be a back print between the shoulder blades...so the entire image is 10.5" x 8" as I currently envision it. With that sizing I think the "C" will be around 5" x 5".
I was going DTG,disburse,or phthalate/pvc but I can't find anyone who really is geared toward a true startup that's personally finance (by Day job's extra money after bills are paid money) They all want to create the design at 144 and 72 shirt minimums. So, I'm going to probably do the entire logo in foil except for the shirts that I put rhinestones on which will have, I hope, all of the logo in foil with the exception of the "C" which will be in rhinestone. It's starting to look like I need 2 million rhinestones.


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

once you lay the stones down,, it is unreal how many gross can go on each shirt,, also remember that a ton of stones on a paper thing teeshirt will make it drapey, and hang weird so put it on a shirt that has enough substance to it,, or form fit,,
Sandy Jo


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## nvarner (Apr 16, 2009)

Good point! I'm thinking the bamboo/cotton blend from Continential Clothing. Maybe, I should go with a small C on the chest in rhinestones and do the logo in back as all foil. The gross count is going to get this baby up there in pricing.


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

Dont forget black glitter vinyl,,, with black rhinestones or studs,, lol
sandy jo


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

Can you tell anything that shines and is sparkley is right up my alley,,
sandy Jo


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## nvarner (Apr 16, 2009)

Oh yeah! I have a Juicy hoodie with rhinestones on the back and it says," Only the Joy that Bling can Bring"


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

Love it,, Here is a pic of my tote,,


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## miamirhinestone (Mar 10, 2009)

The only Comparing of stones would be Preciosa & Swarovski both have an incredible shine but for everyday wear and like someone said before as long as you stay with a smaller stone( ss 06- ss 16, 2mm-4mm) Koreans work great. I only saw one person bring it up the rhinestones need to stick to the material of the garment not the ink so if you are using plastisol or a thick ink the stones will probably fall off. Best bet is to just make the outline of the C and fill it in with rhinestones that way they stick good Lot's of Luck


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## IslandGirl (Feb 17, 2009)

I just wanted to add there is another alternative for Swarovski and Preciosa. Preciosa is not much less in cost compared to Swarovski. From what I have seen maybe 10 to 15 percent less. Not to say someone out there couldn't have killer prices on Preciosa. 

There are other Machine Cut stones available with a tremendous amount of sparkle. I am importing a machine cut rhinestone, that I am really happy with, lots of bling. It's a step or two below Swarovski, but at a 50 to 60% cost savings. I am not trying to "toot my own horn" but I don't think a lot of people know there are other choices besides Swarovski and Korean 

Just like with Korean there are different qualities of machine cut so you should sample a small amount before buying a large quantity. I agree with the other posts, in that when you are using an ss10 stone or smaller, you cannot tell the quality difference as much as with a larger stone.


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

I agree island girl,, but when the stones get bigger woweeeee,, if not a good grade start to look like plastic, and cloudy,


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## nvarner (Apr 16, 2009)

Good advise of leaving the C area blank. IslandGirl can you share the information on the rhinestones you make reference to in your post?


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## IslandGirl (Feb 17, 2009)

nvarner said:


> IslandGirl can you share the information on the rhinestones you make reference to in your post?


The Rhinestones I carry are machine cut, made in the same manor as Swarovski and Preciosa which are also a machine cut stone. I guess you could say these are a "generic brand" since they are not as well known. But, The quality is excellent.

I just did a little experiment. I lined up some Swarovski SS16 in rose next to the SS16 stones I import. I asked my Hubby along with my teenage daughters to tell me which stone they preferred, shine sparkle etc. (not knowing which was which) They all said the Swarovki looked a little different because of the 12 facet cut, they looked more "glittery" they said the imported stones looked brighter and more "flashy" than the Swarovski. All and all there wasn't a big difference other than the cut. I think because the imported stones have a larger "table" they have more flash.

Machine cut stones, without the big name brand, can really be an excellent alternative. Just test before you buy! I sampled a few brands before going with these. I will try and post some pics of the side by side comparison.


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

Thank you island girl,
Sandy Jo


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## IslandGirl (Feb 17, 2009)

Your Welcome Sandy Jo  Here is a pic for you guys. These are Swarovski light rose ss16 next to the machine cut ss16 in rose. As you can see the machine cut is a tad larger than Swarovski.

My Falcon rhinestone template cutting system just arrived. I almost kissed the Fed Ex man!  LOL


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## sjidohair (Apr 9, 2008)

Very nice,, 
and have fun with your falcon
sandy Jo


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## veedub3 (Mar 29, 2007)

IslandGirl said:


> I just wanted to add there is another alternative for Swarovski and Preciosa. Preciosa is not much less in cost compared to Swarovski. From what I have seen maybe 10 to 15 percent less. Not to say someone out there couldn't have killer prices on Preciosa.
> 
> There are other Machine Cut stones available with a tremendous amount of sparkle. I am importing a machine cut rhinestone, that I am really happy with, lots of bling. It's a step or two below Swarovski, but at a 50 to 60% cost savings. I am not trying to "toot my own horn" but I don't think a lot of people know there are other choices besides Swarovski and Korean
> 
> Just like with Korean there are different qualities of machine cut so you should sample a small amount before buying a large quantity. I agree with the other posts, in that when you are using an ss10 stone or smaller, you cannot tell the quality difference as much as with a larger stone.


You are so right! I used Machine cut stones 3 yeas ago and they were far better than the Korean stones I use now but they began to get very popular and my supplier doubled the price on me. (as soon as several people start asking for them they raised the price) I have not found another supplier that will give me the same quality for the price I was getting so I moved over to the Korean stones.
I actually buy my stones direct from the manufacturer personally and for the price he was charging me I could have purchased Swarovski stones here in the states so I had to move on.

But Island Girl you are right MC is a great stone.

Katrina


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## nvarner (Apr 16, 2009)

Thanks, I will look for some manufacturers. I only intend to bling the "C" in my logo so I'm hoping it will not be too complicated of a process or too expensive of a venture. I think it would take about 200 rhinestones per "C". I don't see it being 500 or more stones.


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## IBXpressions (Mar 6, 2009)

If you get a Korean rhinestone and a Swarovski rhinestone and you hold them up to the light, you will know which one is Swarovski. They are by far the best out there and they sparkle in indoor light, the sun pretty much anywhere. Korean rhinestones sparkle but they don't have a brilliant look to them. Once you see a Swarovski, you will know if you get a fake!


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