Crystals Explained

If you’re just starting out in the world of crystals, it can seem like a foreign place where you don’t speak the language. But get going and you’ll find that ‘crystallising’ (adding crystals as embellishments) is fun and therapeutic, so don’t be put off.

Here’s some basic vocabulary to help you speak the language:

Hot Fix and Non-Hot Fix

This is the first choice you will be confronted with when you start gemming, and this one is about how you prefer to attach the crystals to your surface. Hot Fix crystals come with glue already coated over the reverse and are applied with a heating wand, whereas non-hot fix (also known as flatback) are plain on the reverse for you to apply using your preferred adhesive. We have another article here about choosing which is right for you – so if you’re stuck already, we’d suggest starting there.

In some cases, this choice will be straightforward, as non-porous surfaces such as plastic, metal and glass are only suitable for glue – and certain types at that.

SS Sizes

Crystal rhinestones are mainly sold by sizes described with ‘SS’. Whilst it sounds technical ‘SS’ literally stands for ‘size of stone’ and loosely corresponds to the width of the crystal in millimeters. There is slight variation between suppliers, but the SS sizes translate like this:

Generally speaking sizes below SS10 are used mainly for nail art, with SS5 and SS7 being the most common. SS10 and SS12 are ideal as filler crystals and for creating intricate or precise designs. SS16 and SS20 are the most common crystal sizes for embellishing clothing, dance and skating wear, with larger stones – SS30 and above, as well as sew-on crystals – adding variety and exceptional sparkle.

Do I want Clear or AB?

AB stands for ‘Aurora Borealis’ and is the name given to the iridescent coating applied to the outer face of the crystal. Clear crystals do not have this coating, and all the sparkle comes from the cut of the facets on the surface. However AB crystals have this coating applied over the top of the clear crystal and the coating itself has some reflection from it.

AB coated crystals are often regarded as sparklier than their clear counterparts, but a good quality clear cut with sharp cuts will have fantastic clarity and sparkle. It’s really a case of which suits your project.

Crystal AB coating changes the colour of the crystal slightly, giving it tones of silver, green, pink and purple. When applied over a coloured clear stone, the AB coating can really change its colour. Here is Light Siam for example, compared to Siam AB with the iridescent coating.

It’s always worth consulting a colour chart to see the various colour options and lay the crystals over the fabric or base you are embellishing to get a true idea of how they will look.