# Rhinestone grades and cost



## Upwardtees (Apr 17, 2011)

Ok, about grades of stones, I have been using Koren #2 but would like to look at using a better grade of stones. What would be the progression from there. Also at what point does the stone cost excede the price the general public is willing to pay? Thanks for the help Wayne


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## My Shirt Connect (Jan 24, 2010)

stephanieblingz said:


> they have the same cut as Preciosa /Swarovski stones


One of the reasons Swarovski looks so nice is because it does have a different cut than the rest. : ) Swarovski has 14 facets / cuts where most of the other machine cut rhinestones have 12 facets. You can always tell the difference between a Swarovski rhinestone and the rest by looking at the sides of the rhinestones. Swarovski will alternate from a larger pane to a smaller pane and back to a larger pane as you rotate the rhinestone. The other machine cut rhinestones will only have 12 facets and they will all be equal in distance.

Just to clarify, Preciosa doesn't have the same cut as Swarovski either : )

Hope this helps!

Brian


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## stephanieblingz (Sep 13, 2011)

You're right. My mistake. I didn't mean to put Swarovski in there too. Swarovski alternates rectangular and triangular facets as opposed to machine cut stones with all the same shape of facet. However, machine cut stones do have the same cut as Preciosa. I have updated my post.


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## stephanieblingz (Sep 13, 2011)

Back in response to the original post, the next grade up from the highest level Korean stone would be a Machine Cut Stone. Which I think offers the best quality for the price! They are beautiful but don't break the bank like Preciosa/Swarovski.


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## thomaswei (Sep 22, 2011)

There is different quality for the Korean rhinestones too.


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## My Shirt Connect (Jan 24, 2010)

Color consistency is another key factor. Especially with colors like Lt Siam that can look more orange in some batches. 

It makes it tough when you run out of stones half way through a job and the new stones don't match.

Brian


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

thomaswei said:


> There is different quality for the Korean rhinestones too.


What is the different grading system used for Korean rhinestones? Can you explain the differences to us?


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