Sunday, July 19, 2009

What gives Rhinestones there brillance?

Seems the addtion of lead is a large factor. And the number of cuts or facets.

"Rhinestones are made of glass. Fine rhinestones have lead added to the glass to produce Lead Crystal, far more light reflective than glass. Preciosa MC and Swarovski are made of Lead Crystal. Korean and Czech Extra Grade of made of glass and are less bright than either Preciosa MC or Swarovski. All Point Back rhinestones are of Lead Crystal. Such as these Swarovski Crystals show."



Flat Back rhinestones are made of : Lead Crystal, Glass, or Acrylic. (Please note: There is NO acrylic stone that is as bright as glass, and there is no glass rhinestone that is as bright as Lead Crystal.

Rhinestone Brilliance is derived from: Type of glass used (Lead Crystal is far more bright than glass) and the Cut of the rhinestone.

The CUT of the rhinestone greatly influences its brilliance! Purchase the rhinestone with cut in mind. Rhinestones with more facets will glimmer more than those cut with fewer facets, AND rhinestones cut with fewer facets will flash more than those cut with a higher number of facets.

We have found the perfect compromise to be 8-12 facets around the table (table is the flat top of the rhinestone). When more facets are added to the rhinestone, the reflected light is broken into more and more pieces, therefore each piece of reflected light is smaller. Understand that up close, the more facets a rhinestone has, the better it will look to your eye. BUT! The real test of a rhinestone is at a distance of intended viewing

Costumers design outfits that are showing at distances of greater than 4 feet. Here, in all cases, the 8-12 facet rhinestone will be superior in effect to rhinestones of higher cut facets.

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Pretty pins!