# Search for cheapest sparkliest rhinestones



## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

Hi:

I have researched this forum and Alibab, etc. and not found what i am looking for unless i missed it. So i was wondering if anyone pays less than 5 bucks for 10 gross top quality rhinestones (thats including shipping)...? I want the kind that is right below Swarovsky in shine/sparkle.

I don't care where they come from only that you have found the glue to hold well even through a couple of washing cycles.

Anyone have any suppliers to recommend?

Thanks much,
Nadine


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

When purchasing smaller quantities you are going to always pay more because you are paying for the time involved to breakdown larger quantities and repackage. I don't think you will ever find under $5 for the quality rhinestones you are looking for. When I first started out I use to buy my rhinestones from a place called Thread Art (they have a website) and a 10 gross pkg of hot fix rhinestones were below $5/10 gross. They told me they were a Korean rhinestone. I had to pick out some flawed rhinestones but they worked to get me started. I now purchase full bags from Shine Art which is a substantial savings and they are also Korean cut but a much better quality than I was getting from Thread Art. A full bag of ss10 or 3mm size is 500 gross.

It's been quite a few years since I purchased from thread art so I don't know what their quality or prices are like but you can always buy a bag and test them out for yourself.


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## littlefatbuddy (Oct 8, 2012)

I purchased mine from slickartonline.com. The prices are very comparable to Shinearts and even cheaper in some cases. They also have a tshirtforum discount. Allhamps a regular contributor on the forum is the owner of slickartonline.com. The shipping from allhamps was cheaper too.


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

Thanks for your reply, BlingItOn and littlefatbuddy. I will look into this. Did you both have good experiences with the glue holding? I have just done some design on a knit kardigan for a friend and she told me some stones came off on the first day, which now makes me concerned that if you buy cheap with good sparkle, the discount will be because the glue is the cheap part. Or could it maybe have to do with the fact that the cardigan is a tight weave knit?


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

The knit fabric may have been the issue. If I were you I would apply a design to a cotton or cotton/poly blend tee and do some wash testing yourself. What temp and pressure did you use to apply the stones? I do mine at 325 degrees for 12 seconds, peel tape off while its hot then cover with a Teflon sheet and press again for an additional 5 second all while using a med to firm pressure. 

I do not have any issues with Shine Arts glue.


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## rena PEAK (Oct 22, 2011)

The sparkly rhinestones with strong glues would NOT be very cheap. I recommend you buy a small bag and test by yourself. There are many retailers on Aliexpress with low price.


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

Thanks for the tip, Rena. I have looked at Alibaba and Aliexpress is a spin-off, so I guess I already saw most of the same there, but will check it out nonetheless. With regards to the price being higher with better glue, I am starting to think that too! I have tested the following "cheap" hotfix rhinestones from Ebay sellers by washing at 70 degrees Celsius (after that I tried to peel some off) and drying (after which I tried to scratch some off again):

Celebrationdecorations ($6): few stones came off (beautiful sparkle)
Crystal-pro-shop ($5): some stones came off (beautiful sparkle)
YW_Market ($4): more stones came off (decent sparkle)
Abenbeads: all stones stayed on (though they are cheap looking and matte, not really good qual)
Yes_Diy ($6.5): all stones stayed on
Swarovski (seller doesn't matter): all stones stayed on

Prices are for 10gross. 

As shine-art has been recommended by littlefatbuddy and in another thread as well, I will be testing those soon.

Thanks!


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## littlefatbuddy (Oct 8, 2012)

I actually recommend slickartonline. For many of the popular colors, a 125 gross is the smallest bag you can get from shine art. I am not saying anything bad about shine art; there are many pleased customers that use them. I also think the knit material was probably the biggest reason they did not stick. I have not had any issues with the ones from Carol (slickart, allhamps) and she will send samples as well.


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## rena PEAK (Oct 22, 2011)

n2mouse Good to hear your test report. What's the size and color of the stones? As I know the red series are the most expensive.


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

BlingItOn said:


> The knit fabric may have been the issue. If I were you I would apply a design to a cotton or cotton/poly blend tee and do some wash testing yourself. What temp and pressure did you use to apply the stones? I do mine at 325 degrees for 12 seconds, peel tape off while its hot then cover with a Teflon sheet and press again for an additional 5 second all while using a med to firm pressure.
> 
> I do not have any issues with Shine Arts glue.


I don't know the heat I am applying, because I am currently still doing it manually with the stick (Bedazzler???), but I will keep in mind that 325 is the right temp when I will be doing it with an iron. At this point I agree that it was prob the knit fabric that is causing most of the issues, as the stones seem to stick better on a t-shirt fabric that I am applying them to now. Thanks again for your feedback!


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

rena PEAK said:


> n2mouse Good to hear your test report. What's the size and color of the stones? As I know the red series are the most expensive.


Hi Rena: I don't know what you mean by the red series, but if you are referring to the Swarovski's, then they yes, the ones I used had the copper colored glue on the back. It is my conjecture that the new Swarovski style (2038 ?) has that reddish colored glue, but am not certain on this.

The washing test was done on SS8 for Celebrationsdecoration and Abenbeads, the others were SS6.

Celebrationsdecorations were called DMC and Abenbeads called the Czech kind.

Of all of them, the sparkle from Celebrationdecorations was by far the shiniest and the ones I would likely buy again! Their glue was a light grey.

Hope this helps!


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## rena PEAK (Oct 22, 2011)

Thanks n2mouse. For the red series, I mean the rhinestone color. Such as pink, fuchsia. Any way, the DMC is with good quality.


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

I was wondering, littlefatbuddy, if you could share your contact information of slickartonline, as they don't seem to want to respond via the contact data listed on their website. Thanks much!


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## BML Builder (Jul 8, 2008)

n2mouse said:


> I was wondering, littlefatbuddy, if you could share your contact information of slickartonline, as they don't seem to want to respond via the contact data listed on their website. Thanks much!


You can try PMing her on here. Her sign on is Allhamps. She is on here quite often so I would think you should be able to reach her that way.


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## tankueray (Apr 16, 2010)

Premium stones (i.e., machine cut glass like Swarovski) come in bulk bags of 200 gross or 10 gross packs. Grade A Korean and Chinese economy stones come in 500 gross bulk bags and are usually repackaged into smaller bags by resellers. Most premium Asian Swarovski clones (e.g., Precosia, DMC) wholesale for around $5/10 gross and up if you get them shipped straight from Asia. Bulk 200gr bags drop the price between $.06 and $.10 per gross. That said, public retail should run about $25/10gr envelope, and wholesale retail around $12-$15. If I repackage the bulk stones, I could afford to sell crystal SS10s for $7/10gr (but I don't, so please don't ask), but I couldn't do that reselling the envelopes. What you're buying on eBay is usually Chinese, rarely Korean, and I have yet to see Swarovski that's not counterfeit. 

That's about all I can get away with saying without upsetting the other resellers. If you're paying $5/10 gross, you're not getting Premium machine cut stones. Just about everyone will send you samples of Korean and Chinese, but you'll have to pay for samples of Premium.

The photos (left to right) are Chinese economy, Premium Korean non-hotfix, and the new hot-fix Swarovski stones.


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## littlefatbuddy (Oct 8, 2012)

n2mouse said:


> I was wondering, littlefatbuddy, if you could share your contact information of slickartonline, as they don't seem to want to respond via the contact data listed on their website. Thanks much!


 Sorry for the late reply. Hopefully you have the situation solved by now. If not... CUSTOM RHINESTONE TRANSFERS
[email protected]
I am still happy with the quality of the stones.


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## memgen (Feb 11, 2013)

Can anyone supply with a name or list of companies that sell in large gross amounts of hot fix rhinestones I've been searching the internet and I've not had been able to find any. I'm not looking for the very expensive type. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using T-Shirt Forums


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

memgen said:


> Can anyone supply with a name or list of companies that sell in large gross amounts of hot fix rhinestones I've been searching the internet and I've not had been able to find any. I'm not looking for the very expensive type.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using T-Shirt Forums


You can try Lucky Wholesale based in Texas?...

Hot Fix Rhinestones :: Lucky Wholesale - Rhinestone T-shirts and more

Kevin


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

Hi:

Thanks for all the great replies. I have some good tips and will follow-up with my quality control report. To tell you what I know so far:

10 gross (ss6)
Slickartonline.com $4
Shine-Art.com $3.9
PS: The greater the purchase quantity the cheaper Slickart becomes, however, they seem to carry limited sizes (ss6, ss10, ss16 only are listed on pricelist).

So I continue to look for more vendors/supplier of top quality hotfix crystals at low pricing. 

Do you know of any suppliers that are equal or beat these prices and have great shine/sparkle?

Thank you!


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

My Rhinestone Transfers has reasonable prices however you have to buy full 500 gross bags. About a year ago I purchased from them a couple of times but then they must have changed suppliers because the quality of the last batch they sent me was horrible. I contacted them but they would not take the rhinestones back. One bag was the pink color rhinestone and for that bag alone I was out over $200. Not sure how their quality is now but I'm not taking any chances anymore. 

Shine Art will take back anything within a certain time period. Have only had to return something once with them. It wasn't due to poor quality but their new batch of pink that they sent me did not match what I was already using on a current job. They still had stock from an older batch and they switched it out for me. They have been wonderful to work with.

I have also purchased from slick art. Carol has helped me out when shine art was out of stock with a color I needed. She got my order out very fast.


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

About a year ago I purchased from them a couple of times but then they must have changed suppliers because the quality of the last batch they sent me was horrible. [/QUOTE]

Thank you, BlingItOn for your reply, but can you tell me who you mean by "them", which vendor supplied you with the inferior quality? With regards to Shine-Art, I can only say the customer service so far has been outstanding! 

I am still looking for a couple of more suppliers, though, just to have more than one...is there anyone really happy with their supplier, getting a great price and outstanding sparkle???


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

The vendor I was talking about was "My Rhinestone Transfers".


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

The Rhinestone World also has some nice rhinestones but the prices are 2-3 times more than Shine Arts prices. He offers great customer service so people are willing to pay more and purchase them from him. The quality is the same as Shine Arts so why pay more when you don't have to.


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## littlefatbuddy (Oct 8, 2012)

I am not sure about trw cs I have sent four different messages on the website and have not received one reply. The two phone messages were not returned either. 

Kevin have you used any of the stones from Lucky? I wanted to know how the quality was?


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## allhamps (Mar 15, 2007)

n2mouse said:


> Hi:
> 
> Thanks for all the great replies. I have some good tips and will follow-up with my quality control report. To tell you what I know so far:
> 
> ...


What size range stones are you looking for? I've been doing this for a while, and I don't get very many request for stones above the ss16 size, except maybe in the clear crystal. I also don't use very man ss20 stones, unless I'm decorating items other than shirts (shoes, frames, etc.), so it has not been economical to stock anything other than ss06, ss10 & ss16.


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## BlingItOn (May 29, 2008)

I agree ss06,ss10 & ss16 are the only sizes I use too.


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## Leg cramps (Feb 9, 2009)

I use ss10. I have a few ss16 that I use as accents but never a whole design in 16. I haven't tried ss6 because I heard they are a PIA. I have never had a customer ask for a certain size stone yet. The only reason I include a stone size in a proof is to CMA. Im sure the customer does not know what the heck ss10 even is. and how many people are familiar with mm?


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

In my business people are always asking about certain stones sizes...

What I've I've never really seen discussed much if any is how the different stone sizes can really benefit those of us who make stencils...

Take the attached design as an example...

Customer says they want all ss10... Pretty typical for me... 

But... I explained you know if you did the text in ss16 it will pop a little more than ss10 because of the bigger stone size... But by going with ss16 you can also do one template... If I were doing the design I would be tempted to do the outline of the baseball in ss6...

So I sweep my ss16 stones for my text... Then my ss10 stones for the mountain and the fill of the baseball and then finally ss6 stones for the outline of the baseball....

I only need a single template in this case and I can do a 3 color design very easily....

So anytime I sit down to do a design... That is my very first step... Thinking about production and how I am going to make the templates.... 

In this design... Imagine... roughly 30 inches of template material or 12 inches all because we use different sized stones...

In regards to ss6... Don't discount these stones... Are they a little trickier to work with... Yes... BUT!!! If you use the right stones they can be less tricky.... The benefit is you will have to make less templates if you put your designs together correctly...

If you buy stones from ShineArt versus stones from Matt at the Rhinestone World... Sparkle and shine is one thing... They are pretty similar... But brush Matt's and brush Shine Art... Difference is night and day... Matt's 10 times easier to work with... When you look at Matt's you will notice they come to more of a point than Shine Arts... It's this more pointed tip of the stone that makes the brushing of stones easier...

So not all stones are created equal on the shine and glue spectrum... But ease of brushing too is a consideration...

I personally love working with multi stones sizes... Almost every design I do has ss6 stones for the reasons mentioned above... But don't let those little stones get the best of you... Like most things... Once you have a little practice with them they are not all that bad to work with...

Kevin


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## allhamps (Mar 15, 2007)

I agree, but mainly from a different standpoint. Since I don't use templates, except for single color designs which my sons can do, my focus is not necessarily on the template side, but on the design detail and transfer price side. I do a lot of designs with custom lettering, and often the customers want "3mm stones". When I show them the difference some of this wording looks like when using the ss06 stones for a thicker more packed look, they are blown away. Naturally, a single line of ss06 stones gets a little lost, but a triple line of ss06 stones packs a pretty good punch. I also do a lot of large designs, and again, folks ask for 3mm stones because it's what they hear. When I give them a price for a 12 inch design using ss10 stones as the base, against a price for a 12 inch design using ss16 stones as the base, and they can see the price difference, but not a detail difference, again, they seem surprised. (I charge by the stone).

Because there is now a saturation of information and sellers or rhinestone products, people are becoming more "educated", for better or worse, on some of the technical features of size and quality of the stones. However, as the professional, I still see the benefit in doing exactly the type of thing Kevin mentioned, and letting them see that a mixed stone size design gives them much better depth and detail to their pieces.


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## dan-ann (Oct 25, 2007)

Well this weekend I made up my mind to pick one rhinestone distributor and stay with them. I have been buying from 3-4 different ones but the difference in the size of the same ss stones really irritated me this weekend . Some stones slid right in and others said no way to small


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

dan-ann said:


> Well this weekend I made up my mind to pick one rhinestone distributor and stay with them. I have been buying from 3-4 different ones but the difference in the size of the same ss stones really irritated me this weekend . Some stones slid right in and others said no way to small


Thanks for the last messages, I learned lots! Is it generally cheaper to do e.g. one row of ss16 or the same letter but with a double row of ss10???

Also, dan-ann would you please share the 3-4 suppliers you used to use and which one you are going with now?

Awesome forum!


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## allhamps (Mar 15, 2007)

Sally, that was one of the first things I learned. Pick a supplier and be consistent. It's amazing how different stones can be, not just in their circumference, but also in the height of the stone also.


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## dan-ann (Oct 25, 2007)

Did not realize how much difference there was because I would make up a batch of one design and use what I had the most of . This weekend I decided to use up what I had left from all before I ordered again and since I never had problems with any. Of the stones staying on I mixed some 10 ss together. Whoa what a difference

Have not decided who I am buying from yet. Once I get all my orders done i will lay out a few of each and see which sparkle I like the best and then check the glue and make a decision

I have bought from people on the list and another forum I am on. It will be from one of them.
I want to support the people who have so freely given their knowledge and experience.


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

Follow-up:

As promised I would do a WASH TEST on both hotfix rhinestones from ShineArt.com and SlickArtonline.com.

I have applied both on the same shirt with each a row of SS10 and washed the shirt 10 times and dried it in dryer 10 times as well. The washing cycle was normal (whites) and the dryer for a minimum of 60 minutes.

Not one stone has moved or come off! Both kinds of stone exhibit an amazing quality. Nothing I purchased on Ebay comes even close. I even had one Swarovski come off on another shirt faster than those two.

Of the two, the ShineArt has a bit more sparkle and better customer service, but other than that, I can recommend both of these as excellent quality stones & glue!


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## best26102 (Sep 29, 2013)

cheap stones.. SK of Houston sells stone....
I prefer a nicer stone as my clients are willing to have more sparkle.
Coleman & Company sells a better stone
anybody who sells stones will cut you more of a break depending on the amount you purchase from them month to month.
We go thru 500 gross like they are water, and now are ordering 1000 gross at a time and get better pricing.
Get to know the person who takes your order and they will take care of you. I only phone in orders will not order online which gets a good reputation with the company I am ordering from and down the road if there is any issue I know someone to call, and that is very important to our company


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## PatsyB (Aug 29, 2013)

n2mouse said:


> Hi:
> 
> I have researched this forum and Alibab, etc. and not found what i am looking for unless i missed it. So i was wondering if anyone pays less than 5 bucks for 10 gross top quality rhinestones (thats including shipping)...? I want the kind that is right below Swarovsky in shine/sparkle.
> 
> ...


So do I did you find anything!! Using an Ioline


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## PatsyB (Aug 29, 2013)

Hi Still looking for a good quality rhinestone, fed up with the cheap one going on back to front on transfer sheet. Using an Ioline, any help would be appreciated. 

Thank you guys!


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## Dragon Slayer (Aug 19, 2013)

katruax said:


> ...
> 
> If you buy stones from ShineArt versus stones from Matt at the Rhinestone World... Sparkle and shine is one thing... They are pretty similar... But brush Matt's and brush Shine Art... Difference is night and day... Matt's 10 times easier to work with... When you look at Matt's you will notice they come to more of a point than Shine Arts... It's this more pointed tip of the stone that makes the brushing of stones easier...
> 
> ...


I have often wondered about the difference in the peak of the stone. Some have a broader table (flat part on top) than others do. I only thought that difference might have something to do with sparkle but not brushing them in. I have had difficulty brushing in stones and them staying put, but I thought it had more to do with the size of the template holes than the stones. I have often complained to my husband, that you and Matt from TRW make brushing the stones look so effortlessly and quick, all the while I struggle. I sit there and yell out, "why is this so hard?" Now, I will look for a more "peaked" stone in future and will be willing to pay a tad more for that difference.


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## n2mouse (Nov 1, 2012)

Hi Patsy: 

I pretty much decided on ShineArt unless I see much better at the Orlando show. But so far, ShineArt has really beautiful sparkle (they sent me a chart with live stones and a sample) and the glue holds very firm. Nothing is as rainbow sparkly as Swarovski, but ShineArts Pellosa is definitely under the top 3 of all stones I have ever seen. Really a good choice and thanks to the recommendation of several members of this forum. 

On that note: Thank you to all who shared their knowledge here!


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