New Flatback Crystals for Polymer Clay

I like to incorporate crystal rhinestones into my clay designs.  They make a perfect accent and give the pieces a more finished look plus who doesn't love a little bling?  Up until recently, I used exclusively genuine Swarovski crystals, however, they quit producing the type that is compatible with the clay (flatbacks with the hotfix glue) and what colors remain on the market are very limited but also very pricey.

I go through a lot of crystals in my work and since my stash was running low and Swarovskis were difficult to find, I had to come up with another solution.  I have since discovered new crystal rhinestones that are manufactured right here in my own country of Canada!  These crystals are amazing!  I find the cuts are very close to the Swarovski crystals (and is hard to tell the difference, really) and the colors are so rich and intense.

Because I order huge amounts, I get volume pricing and decided to make them available in our online store.  I have them available in 3 of the most popular sizes - 4, 5 and 6mm. 

Here are some samples of what is already available in my shop and I have matched some of these up with the new Pantone spring colors for visualization.  You can click on any of the photos below to see that specific crystal color listed.

The yellow crystals shown below are what they call "AB" which is an abbreviations for "Aurora Borealis".  These give off a sort of rainbow effect when they reflect the light.  Their beauty is difficult to capture in a photograph.  The crystals here are the same in both photo and with the Pantone Spring color Daffodil, but appear differently depending on the angle of my camera.

Here is another gorgeous color that has 2 main colors that reflect but also have an "AB" finish.  These are shown on two of the Pantone Spring colors, Innuendo and Dahlia.  See how the crystals pick up the color of whichever one they are on?

The crystals shown below are a blue and turquoise green combo and here they are on the Pantone Spring color, Skydiver.

The crystals below are called Hyacinth.  They reflect an orangey type red and are shown here on the Pantone Spring color Poinciana.  These crystals are one of my favorites and was very difficult to capture their true beauty.

The Aqua crystals shown here do not have the AB or reflective coating but are still very stunning due to the cuts and clarity.  Here they are shown with the Pantone Spring color Spun Sugar which compliment quite well.

And of course these purple crystals are very different than your typical Amethyst color.  The purple color is quite deep and intense and also a perfect compliment to the Pantone color of the year, Very Peri!

The crystals shown below are my absolute favorites!  They are a White Opal and have a milky  appearance.  I love how they make a great accent instead of plain clear crystals and find they combine well with my screen prints when I use white acrylic paint to create the patterns.  They work well when I do not have that perfect color match to the clay.

I have more colors listed in my online store which you can check out here along with other jewelry supplies that I use in my tutorial lessons.

Q-Tip of the Day

We love adding crystal rhinestones to some of our work to give it some sparkle or bling.  We only use the genuine Swarovski crystals from Austria as they are the best quality with perfect cuts and sparkle.  

I recently came across a simple tool for picking up and positioning these crystals that works like a charm and is in the form of a pencil.

Use a regular pencil sharpener to give it a point.

Then pick the rhinestone crystal up by applying just a little bit of pressure to the center.

It will stay on the tool while you position it on the clay design.  

If your clay is really soft, you can even use the pencil to gently push the rhinestone in to set it.  We use Kato clay, however, which is much firmer so we use an empty tip from a pen as a tool to set them in.

I was working with some smaller 4mm size rhinestones the other day and the pen blank was just a little too large so I was looking around the studio for something that was smaller and a better fit.   I then noticed our little jar of Q-tips on the table and there it was!

The Q-tips are handy for so many things and I like to cut them in half and store them this way.

I remembered that some of the plastic type Q-tips are hollow inside and the ones we had were that type.  When I tested one out on the smaller rhinestones, I discovered they were a perfect fit!

If you are looking for some genuine Swarovski crystals to use with your clay, we purchase large amounts in bulk and have them for sale in our online store.  We even found these cute little containers for storing and keeping them handy and with the purchase of a variety mix or minimum 5 packages in colors of your choice, you will receive a Rhinestone Pick-up Pencil as a bonus gift.