Flat back Swarovski crystals are perfect for adding to a wide range of materials to adding some sparkle. They are made from lead glass and have a multi faceted face with a flat back on the reverse of the crystal that is available as foiled or un-foiled. The most popular style is the 2058 Swarovski Xilion Rose Enhanced which has 14 facets to provide the ultimate in dazzle. Rhinestones can be added to almost any surface, providing the correct adhesive is used to provide a suitable bond between the crystal and material. For some projects it may be necessary or appropriate to use more than one kind of adhesive if there are a variety of materials involved.

Preparation

i. If a materials surface is smooth such as rubber or plastic, lightly rubbing the surface with a fine emery cloth or sand paper will provide a better bonding surface.

ii. Pre wash any new fabric prior to adding adhesive to remove any sizing.

iii. A materials surface should be dry, clean and free of any dust, grease or oil before any adhesive is applied.

How to pickup Swarovski Crystals

i. Orange stick – For very small crystals ss5 – ss7 (used for nail art) an orange stick is the easiest tool to use, just wet the tip and the crystals will stick to it.

ii. Jewel Setter – A jewel setter is a plastic wand with a sticky wax bud on the end, gently touch the crystal and it will stick to the bud, the crystal can then be dabbed with glue and placed into position, or just placed onto a glue surface. The bud may leave wax residue on the crystals, which can be easily wiped off once the adhesive is dry.

iii. Precision tip tweezers – Larger crystal can be picked up with fine tipped tweezers.

Choosing the right adhesive for Swarovski Crystals

Swarovski recommend a range of adhesives for applying crystals to most materials as can be seen below.

The Most Popular adhesives for Swarovski crystal rhinestones

There are a range of adhesives that are widely used by the craft and jewellery making communities that are outlined below. Some of these adhesives give off very strong fumes so care needs to be taken whilst using them.

Gem Tac Glue
Gem Tac Glue is manufactured by Beacon Adhesives it’s a permanent non-toxic water based glue, that is washable after 24 hours. It’s an extremely popular adhesive for adding crystals to fabric (dance costumes, t-shirts, jeans etc…) because it’s both strong easy to use and most importantly non-toxic so it’s safe to use in a confined space. Gemtac is clear and flexible when dry so provides a good bond for many surfaces as the glue wont crack if subjected to stress.
Gemtac can be used to embellish: Mobile phones, greetings cards, clothing, shoes, leather goods, wood, suede and glass.

E6000
E6000 adhesive is an industrial strength adhesive that is very popular with many craft enthusiasts because it sticks to just about anything and is very strong when dry. It takes about 24 hours to fully cure and is workable for 5 to 15 minutes when using (depending on air temperature), it dries to form a clear flexible rubber that like Gemtac can act as a shock absorber for the crystal if dropped. The downside of this adhesive is the fumes are very strong and contain a carcinogenic substance, so a mask needs to be worn when using. E6000 is 1 part epoxy glue so is ready to use straight out of the tube and doesn’t require any mixing.
E6000 can be used to embellish: Mobile phones, flip flops and other footwear, it’s perfect for attaching crystals to any surface made from fabric, wood, glass or metal.

GS Hypo Cement
GS Hypo Cement comes in a tube with a very fine applicator nozzle like a needle for very fine precision application. It’s widely used for jewellery repairs and watch making because it allows parts to be positioned before drying. It generally becomes tacky in 10-15 seconds but takes 10-15 minutes to dry and is fully cured in an hour. The adhesive dries water clear and is recommended for non porous surfaces it’s also a medium strength cement that won’t bond fingers.
GS Hypo Cement can be used to embellish: Jewelry, plastic, glass, metal, ceramics, painted or sealed woods and other non-porous surfaces.

(There is also a GS Hypo Fabric Cement available that bonds crystals to fabric, textiles, leather, plastic, paper, arts and crafts, glass, metal, yarn and suede.)

Beacon 527
Beacon 527 is a fast drying super strong crystal clear adhesive that’s flexible and waterproof once dry. It’s an industrial strength glue like e6000 with very strong fumes so will need to be used in a well ventilated area. Beacon 527 takes approximately 2 hours to dry and 24 hours to fully cure. The tube has a fine tip and the adhesive consistency is less viscous than e6000 which can make precision application easier.
Beacon 527 can be used to embellish: Metal, Glass, Wood, Leather, Cardboard, Paper, Cork, Ceramics, China, Tile and shells.

Other posts that may be of interest

Realated Posts: How to make Swarovski Converse – A guide on how to apply crystals

What are Swarovski Hot Fix Crystals

Swarovski hotfix crystals or hot fix rhinestones as they are sometimes called are loose crystal components with a multi faceted face one side and a flat surface coated with a heat sensitive glue on the other. The faceted face is made from lead crystal glass that has been machine cut and the polished to produce a high quality finish. Hotfix glue will take approximately 20 seconds to heat and bond with a surface, but to fully harden will take 24 hours. Once the adhesive is set it is machine washable but not recommended for dry cleaning as some of the chemicals used can denature the glue, which may cause it to discolour and become brittle or dissolve.

Swarovski Hotfix Crystal Structure

1. Crystal: Lead Glass Crystal

2. M-Foiling: Specially developed reflective coating to enhance the crystals brilliance and provide a strong bond with the primer.

3. Primer: The coloured primes strengthens the bond between the foil and the hot-fix glue.

4. Hotfix glue: A transparent glue especially developed by Swarovski to provide a strong bond with various materials.

What Materials Can You Apply Hotfix Crystals To

To provide a successful strong bond a material needs to be able to absorb the adhesive when it’s melted. Materials such as Paper, Card, Wool-Trevira, Cotton, Linen, Wool, Viscose, Tulle, Denim, Lycra, Cotton Jersey, Silk, Synthetics (polyester etc), Technical Fabrics and Artificial Fur are all suitable to apply hot fix crystals to. Less absorbent materials such as glass, plastic, smooth leather and fabrics with a waxy surface wouldn’t be suitable for absorbing the hotfix glue.

A simple test to find out if a material is absorbent would be the water drop test; if the water runs of the surface and isn’t absorbed into the material  it will be unsuitable for use with hot fix crystals. If the material in question contains a large quantity of softening agent it may need to be washed before applying any crystals.

How to apply hotfix crystals with an applicator

Preparation

i. You will need a firm surface to work on such as a table top or work surface; ironing boards aren’t suitable as they don’t provide enough support.

ii. If adding crystals to fabric make sure that the materials surface is flat, iron if necessary.

iii. When adding crystals to sheer fabric its best to place a piece of card or a Teflon sheet between the layers to prevent the glue from seeping through and bonding any fabric layers together.

iv. You will also need a pair of fine tipped tweezers.

v. If it’s your first time using a hotfix applicator its a good idea to first test on a piece of card or scrap material.

1. Choose the correct size applicator tip for the rhinestone size you will be working with, the sizes are etched into the side of a tip. If you are unsure as to the size required place the tip over the rhinestone, the correct size tip will pick up the rhinestone.

2. The applicator tip fits on the end of the hotfix applicator, gently screw the correct size applicator tip into place.

SAFETY: Make sure the hotfix applicator is unplugged and if you are removing a tip it has already had plenty of time to cool down.

3. Turn on the hotfix applicator,  Kandi Professional hotfix applicator has an on/off switch at the rear. Other applicator wands will only need plugging in as there is no on/off switch. (Kandi’s hotfix applicator will take approximately 2-3 minutes to reach working temperature) Lay the applicator on the work surface with the tip pointing away from your working area so that you do not burn your hand as it heats.

4. Place your hotfix crystals onto a clean flat, solid surface. (placing them onto a piece of white card can be helpful if you are working on a dark surface)

5. Turn all the crystals so that they are facing faceted side up.

Applying the crystals

6. Once the tip has heated your ready to start creating the design, gently place the tip over a rhinestone to pick it up, but don’t press hard or the crystal may stick to the surface.

7. Once selected the hotfix crystal will sit perfectly within the tip.

8. Watch the crystal it will start to look wet and shiny and may bubble when the glue melts, this is important to ensure that the adhesive is given the correct timing. Small crystals will take less time for the glue to melt than larger ones, an ss12 will only take around 8 seconds where as an ss16, 4mm crystal will take approximately 10 – 12 seconds. Allowing the adhesive to melt before placing the crystal onto the fabric will also help to prevent burning from prolonged heat of the tip coming into contact with the fabric.

9. Once the glue melts the crystal is ready to apply to the fabric. Lightly press the crystal onto the fabric holding the wand at 90° to the surface to ensure that the crystal bonds correctly. It’s a good idea to support the fabric so that it doesn’t lift when you pull the hotfix applicator away, if the crystal gets stuck in the tip use the tip of a pair of tweezers and push downwards through the slit in the tip to free the crystal.

10. When the crystal comes out of the tip the adhesive is very hot, so give the crystal a few seconds to cool then gently pull on the crystal to see if the glue has bonded to the surface correctly. If the crystal is still loose place the tip over the crystal for a few seconds to melt the glue and then test again once the adhesive has cooled to ensure that the crystal is firmly bonded to the fabric..

11. Complete the process of adding crystals and testing until your design is complete. It will take 24 hours before the adhesive is fully set the crystallized fabric should not be washed within this time.

What you will need:

1. Swarovski flatback rhinestones NON-HOTFIX: size ss12 (3.2mm), ss16 (4mm) or ss20 (5mm) for this tutorial I have used ss16 rhinestones on a size 12 child’s converse trainer. View Swarovski rhinestones

2. Jewel setter: This is a plastic wand with a wax bud one side and pointed end the other, it makes picking up rhinestones very simple. View Jewel setter

3. Sand Paper / Emery board: You will either require a small piece of fine sandpaper or an emery board.

4. e6000 adhesive: This is an industrial strength craft adhesive that’s very strong, flexible, waterproof and clear in colour. It should be used in a well ventilated area with a mask for protection from the harmful fumes. View e6000 glue

5. Piece of cotton cloth / hanky: Cotton is ideal because it doesn’t leave fibres behind when you wipe a surface.

6. Orange stick: Small wooden stick used for pushing back cuticles.

7. Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol): Used for degreasing a surface by removing any traces of oil and grease and dries very quickly.

8. Converse boots / trainers / shoes: To add the crystals to.

Preparation:

1. Place the Swarovski crystals on a surface faceted (shiny) face up. For the sake of this tutorial size 12 kids converse takes 100 crystals per foot (200 crystals in total)

2. Give the rubber toe surface a good rub with the sand paper / emery board to roughen it up. Once the surface has been prepared it will provide a much better platform for the adhesive to bond with.

3. i. Wipe the rubbery powder from the toe.
ii. With a Clean dust free part of the cotton cloth clean the surface of the toe with some alcohol to remove any grease, oil or dust. Because the fluid is alcohol it will dry very quickly and leave no residue.

Adding the crystals

1. Using the opposite end of the jewel setter apply enough adhesive to add half a row of rhinestones from the fabric to the tip of the toe. If you add too much adhesive it will dry before the crystals are added, so it’s better to add the adhesive in stages, especially if it’s your first time crystallizing footwear.

2. Gently touch the top of a rhinestone with the wax bud of the jewel setter to pick up a crystal (don’t press too hard or the crystal will get embedded in the wax). With the crystal selected place it in the corner point of the prepared / glued surface (again don’t press too hard)

3. With the orange stick press the crystal firmly into the adhesive and position the crystal to continue a row of crystals around the outer edge of the toe.

4. Continue this process add crystals to the adhesive with the jewel setter and then pressing them into the adhesive with the orange stick. (Add two or three crystals at a time, then position).

5. Once the crystals reach the top of the toe, add adhesive to the other half of the toe edge to complete the first row of crystals.

6. Its then a good idea to complete the crystals around the outer edge of the toe to give a clean edge to the design.

7. Continue adding rows of crystals until the surface is completely covered. NOTE: Having a few crystals of a smaller size is very useful to fill in any gaps where a larger crystal won’t fit. For this tutorial the gaps have been filled with ss12 rhinestones of which 4 in total were required.

8. Once the surface is completely covered, the crystals will likely look dull in appearance, this is because the jewel setter leaves traces of wax on the surface of the rhinestones, but don’t worry about this yet.

9. Repeat the process with the other Converse boot / shoe and once they are both complete leave them to dry for 15 – 30 minutes.

10. With the cotton cloth buff the crystals to remove any wax residue from the surface of the rhinestones, continue the process until the crystals are gleaming. This is also a good stage to ensure that the crystals are glued firmly in place, if any crystals do come loose, just use a small dab of adhesive and add a new rhinestone to fill the gap.

11. You should now have one completed pair of Swarovski Converse footwear, which will need to be left for 24 – 72 hours for the e6000 to fully cure before worn.

History of the rhinestone

Rhinestones which are also known as diamantes or paste date back as far as the thirteenth century where they were first made from Czechoslovakian or Bohemian hand blown glass. The term rhinestone came along later, when rock crystals were discovered in and around the shores of the river Rhine in Austria. These rock crystals could be cut and moulded to produce beautiful imitation diamonds and are what today’s rhinestone shape and look are based on. Unlike today’s rhinestones, rock crystals do not require any kind of backing to produce the sparkle they are so desired for. The crystals themselves have tiny imperfections within which bounce around the light to create their dazzling effect. Because of the popularity of these natural crystals resources soon became scarce so jewellers sought techniques to create artificial gemstones that duplicate the look of rhinestones.

In the later half of the 18th century French Jeweller Georg Friedrich Strass discovered that by coating the back of glass crystals with metal they would produce an effect much like rock crystals or diamonds. The first crystals had a metal foil glued to the backs of them, which was later substituted with a metal coating which gave a mirror like effect. The mirror backing forced a reflection back through the crystal and gave a dazzling sparkle like a diamond when in contact with light. These imitation gemstones became extremely popular which is why even today many people throughout Europe still refer to rhinestones as Strass.

The next step in the evolution of rhinestones came in the 19th century when Daniel Swarovski developed and patented a technique for precision glass cutting and polishing. With this new technology Swarovski were able to mass produce extremely high quality crystal glass rhinestones that have a much higher lead content than other rhinestones. This addition of lead increases the crystals refraction index which in turn enhances the crystals sparkle much more than conventional glass rhinestones. Swarovski also patented their Xilion Rose 2028 Cut in 2004 which comprises of a 14 facet design that was later revised in the beginning of 2011. Swarovski modified the 2028 in favour of the new 2058 which has a smaller table and higher profile which once again improved the sparkle of their product. Today Swarovski rhinestones are regarded as the finest in the world and as such are used by many of the world’s top fashion designers for accessorising their clothing lines.

Types of rhinestone

Swarovski produce three types of rhinestone:

1. Flat back rhinestones: These are available as foiled or un-foiled, the un-foiled are often used for setting into jewellery pieces where it’s desirable for the light to be able to pass through the crystal. The foil backed crystals are the most popular kind and can be applied to just about anything with a little adhesive and some imagination.

2. Hotfix rhinestones: Are just like the foil backed rhinestones with a ready applied adhesive backing, they can be applied with heat either from a hotfix applicator or an iron with the steam turned off.

3. Sew on rhinestones: These look much the same as flat back rhinestones but with a hole each side of the crystal. They can be stitched into footwear or clothing and are easier to remove than rhinestones which have been glued into place.

How are rhinestones measured?

Rhinestones are measured and sold by their ss size, below is a guide of the most popular sizes in both ss size and mm.

Rhinestone effects

The two most popular rhinestones colours are the clear crystal and crystal AB which Swarovski, Preciosa and other rhinestone manufacturers offer along with a wide range of colours and special effects. The crystal AB or Aurora Borealis coating gives the rhinestone a rainbow effect which is available in both clear crystal and a selection of colours. Where the AB colour is applied to a colour crystal the results can differ greatly, to achieve this effect a special metallic chemical coating is applied to the exterior of the crystals. AB crystals are often seen on dance costumes or costumes worn by professional skaters in competitions and can also work perfectly alongside clear crystal rhinestones on wedding dresses.

Sample of colours from Swarovski rhinestone colour chart

How to apply rhinestones

1. Flat back rhinestones: Depending on the surface there are a number of adhesives that can be used; for paper, fabrics, leather or vinyl Gemtac glue is perfect, its non toxic and dries very quickly to form a flexible surface that’s washable once dry. For something a little stronger you can try e6000 which is an industrial strength glue that’s perfect for flip flops, shoes, mobile phones and many other surfaces. It sticks to just about anything and also dries to form a flexible clear surface, but you have to be careful when using it as the fumes are toxic, so use in a well ventilated area and be careful not to inhale any.

Once you have decided on your adhesive it’s a good idea to prep the surface of any shiny material before adding the glue. You can do this by giving the surface a light rub down with emery paper which will lightly scratch the surface to provide a better bond for the glue. Give the surface a good clean with an alcohol wipe to remove any dust or grease and lay out the rhinestones faceted side up so that they are easy to pick up. Apply the adhesive to a small area and with a jewel setter or tweezers pick up the rhinestones and apply them into position.

2. Hotfix rhinestones: Need heat to melt the glue on the back of the crystals, so in the case of a t-shirt which is laid out flat they can all be placed into position with a jewel setter and then melt the glue by using an iron (turn off the steam, place a cloth/tea-towel or something similar over the crystals and press the iron on the crystals for approximately 10-15 seconds, test the crystals to see if the glue has melted, if not keep repeating the process). The alternative is to use a hotfix applicator wand which looks much like a soldering iron that has interchangeable tips to accommodate the varying rhinestone shapes and sizes. To use this method again you need to lay out the rhinestones faceted side up, put the correct size tip on the applicator and then turn on. The hotfix gun will take a minute or two to warm up then the rhinestones can be picked up with the tip and simply pressed onto the desired surface, repeating the process until the design is complete.

3. Sew on rhinestones: As the name suggests sew on rhinestones are just stitched into the design or in the case of jewellery making they can be linked together with jump rings or wire.

Where to buy Swarovski rhinestones

At Crystal and Glass beads we have a range of Swarovski crystal rhinestones, beads and pearls that can be purchased by visiting our main site: Buy Swarovski crystals

]]> http://www.crystalandglassbeads.com/blog/2011/what-are-rhinestones.html/feed 7 http://www.crystalandglassbeads.com/blog/2011/what-are-rhinestones.html http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/CrystalAndGlassBeads/~3/k99JlqEJ6U0/differences-between-natural-and-cultured-pearls.html http://www.crystalandglassbeads.com/blog/2011/differences-between-natural-and-cultured-pearls.html#comments Sat, 05 Mar 2011 21:11:44 +0000 Khaled http://www.crystalandglassbeads.com/blog/?p=205 Different Types Of Pearls The hunt for natural pearls dates back thousands of years to places like China and the Persian Gulf where divers would swim down to the ocean floor or river bottom to hunt for pearls. Diving for natural pearls was the only means of findings pearls until the late 19th and early [...]]]>

Different Types Of Pearls

The hunt for natural pearls dates back thousands of years to places like China and the Persian Gulf where divers would swim down to the ocean floor or river bottom to hunt for pearls. Diving for natural pearls was the only means of findings pearls until the late 19th and early 20th centuries where Japanese researchers Mise and Nishikawa developed a technique for creating cultured pearls. Both natural and cultured pearls come from Bivalves which are a family of living shelled molluscs of which there are about 20 pearl producing varieties. Of these only a few are used to produce the varying colour pearls we use today:

1. Pinctada Margaritifera – Black-Lipped mollusks produce black Tahitian pearls (South Pacific).
2. Pinctada Maxima – Gold-Lipped or Silver lip mollusks produce champagne or cream pearls (South Sea Pearls).
3. Pinctada Maxima – White-Lipped mollusks produce silver-white, prink or cream tinged pearls (South Sea Pearls).
4. Pinctada Fucata – Akoya pearls produce light pink, white or creamy pearls.
5. Strombus gigas Linnaeus – Pearls from the Queen Conch are very rare and come in shades of cream, gold, grey, brown, orange, red, pink and white pearls.

These molluscs aside from the Conch are made up of two shell halves that open and close for feeding and depending on the variety can be found in salt water or fresh water. Most people think that oysters are the only shellfish that produce pearls, this isn’t the case as both mussels and clams also have the same capability although it much rarer for it to happen.

How Natural Pearls Are Formed

Oysters have a hard protective exterior shell wall but soft delicate bodies on the inside that need protecting. They live in sandy environments and when they get dirt and bits of sand inside their shell they just spit them out. So when you hear that pearls come from a grain of sand this isn’t strictly true. Parasites will sometimes burrow through the oysters outer shell wall and get trapped or die, other times small bits of shell, fish scales or other foreign bodies get caught on the inside shell wall and are unable to be dislodged. To protect its soft body the oyster forms a blister around the irritant that completely encapsulates the foreign body to form a sac. The pearl sack or epithelial cells as it’s also called secretes nacre and conchiolin which coats the irritant to form a pearl. Nacre is made up of crystallized calcium carbonate that is mother of pearl. This smooth thin coating is attached to the irritant by the conchiolin, which is a dark coloured natural organic protein which acts like an adhesive and is only produced to bond the first layer of nacre to the irritant. Throughout the pearls life the sac continuously expands to form concentric micro-layers of nacre around the irritant which gradually increases the size of the pearl in a process that takes years.

How Cultured Pearls Are Formed

Cultured pearls grow in pearl farms some of which are salt water and others freshwater. Unlike natural pearls where the process of an oyster creating a pearl occurs accidentally cultured pearl development is controlled. A nucleus is inserted into the soft tissue of the mollusc, in the case of freshwater pearls a piece of mantle tissue is used and for salt water pearls a mother-of-pearl nucleus is used. The nucleus is usually round in shape as pearls tend to develop into the same shape as the inserted nucleus which acts as a mould. The artificially inserted nucleus which is basically a round bead is nearly as large as a natural pearl; this is because cultured pearls only have a thin layer of nacre, while natural pearls are mostly made of nacre. Once the nucleus is inserted into the oyster the pearl growing process is the same as that of a natural pearl.

Natural vs Cultured Pearls

The process of culturing pearls revolutionised the pearl industry and meant that pearl farmers could control the cultivation of large numbers of consistently high quality pearls. This allows farmers to produce millions of pearls at a time there bye reducing their market value to a level that is affordable to everyone. Natural pearls have become extremely rare because of the huge volumes that were hunted for in the 1800s, which left the world’s natural supply critically low. Add to that the fact that only one in approximately every 10,000 oysters will produce a pearl and of these only a small amount will be of sufficiently high quality. It can take an oyster 5 years to form a tiny 3mm pearl in the wild where as a 7mm cultured pearl can be created from a 6.5mm nucleus in just 3-5 years.

Consistency is another big benefit of cultured pearls, where it’s extremely rare and difficult to find a string of natural pearls that are the exact same shape, colour and size. If one did exist it would be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds where as the same string of cultured pearls would cost just a few hundred pounds. The most desirable shape for pearls is perfectly round which is easily achievable in cultured pearls but finding one is pot luck in natural pearls.

How Can You Tell The Difference Between Natural And Cultured Pearls?

It’s pretty much impossible to tell the difference between a natural and cultured pearl by just looking at its outer appearance. The only way to make absolute certain whether a pearl is natural or not is to perform an x-ray of the internal structure of the pearl. A natural pearl may show growth lines where concentric layers of nacre have been added. Cultured pearls on the other hand will appear to have a perfectly rounded nucleus that’s surrounded by a halo of conchiolin and finally a thin outer layer. Almost all pearls sold today for jewellery making are cultured pearls and just like natural pearls they come in varying colours, shapes and grades of quality. So when it comes to purchasing pearls you can be sure that they will be of the cultured variety which means that they are real pearls made by oysters and are not artificial as many people think.

What is intellectual property?

There are a great many clever and imaginative people in this world who express themselves through their paintings, jewellery, photography, sculptures, poems, plays, music and architecture etc. Each of these expressions is a result of human creativity where an idea has been used to create something new and original. It’s these physical expressions of our ideas or creations of the mind which are referred to as Intellectual property (IP) and are protected under UK law. This means that any new original design of jewellery or sculpture you create is protected in the UK but it doesn’t mean that the ideas or concepts behind the design are also protected, just the finished physical product.

What does this mean for your business?

It means that all your creative outputs that distinguish your business from others such as your distinctive logo, unique packaging and jewellery designs can all be protected.

Intellectual Property ownership

1. IF you are a jewellery designer employed by a company, any designs you create for them are owned by the employer and not the designer. Depending on the contract that you have with your employer it may also mean that any designs created outside of office hours are also the IP of your employer.
2. It stands to reason that if you are self employed then you the IP for any of your creations belongs to you.
3. If you are a freelance designer then you own the IP and not the client or commissioner unless you have a contract with them that gives them IP ownership.

Intellectual Property protection 10px

There are different ways in which IP is protected:

1. Patents – Protect inventions of a scientific nature.
2. Copyright – Protects original artistic, dramatic, literary and music works.
3. Design Rights – Protects 2d and 3d designs.

Facts about Design Rights (unregistered design right)

1. Design rights are automatic as soon as you design a new piece of jewellery, a sculpture or something else your design is automatically protected by design rights.
2. Design rights only apply in the UK; they are not a worldwide protection and can last a maximum of 15 years.
3. Design rights only apply to designs that are original and not commonplace.
4. Design rights enable you to protect the internal and external shape or configuration of a design, but do not cover such things as patterns.

How to protect your design rights

Although any of your designs that conform to the above guidelines are automatically covered in the UK by Design Rights this wont always deter others from copying your work. If you do believe someone has infringed your rights and wish to seek legal action then you need to have proof that someone has actually copied your design and not just produced something that looks like your work. For this reason it’s advisable to: Keep a record and evidence of when a design was first recorded in material form and when it was first made available for sale. Also keep any sketches or plans used throughout the development that helped you get to the final design. Its worth noting on each page of your website that your designs are all protected by design right and copyright law and that legal action will be taken against any form of copying (or something to that effect).

Is there any higher protection available?

If you want to further protect your designs to cover the appearance of a product, resulting particularly from its lines, contours, colours, shape, texture and materials or its ornamentation you can register your designs. You will have to pay to register the designs, but they can then be protected for a maximum of 25 years and should you need to take legal action you won’t have to prove that the designs belong to you.

What happens if someone copies my design?

If you believe someone is infringing your designs then the first thing to do is to send them a carefully worded warning letter. It’s possible that they were unaware of the infringement and even if they were, a warning may be enough to make them stop. A solicitor will be able to help you word the letter if you are unsure and also advise you as to the best course of action. Member of the British jewellery Association or DACS are able to get free advice directly from them regarding IP and protecting your designs.

Further advise about design rights and IP

• Intellectual Property Office – A wealth of information about intellectual property, design rights and how to apply for a design including the forms to download.
• Business Link – A full overview of design rights, and how they can help your business.
• The UK Copyright Service – How to register designs.
• Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) – A not-for-profit visual arts rights management organisation.
• Own IT – Intellectual Property advice for creative businesses.
• Legal advice centre – Free legal advice is available from the Department of Law, Queen Mary, University of London.

1. Bowl of warm water with soap free hand wash (Can use normal hand wash if you don’t have soap free)
2. Moisturiser
3. Colour Nail varnish (or Clear if you prefer)
4. Clear nail varnish
5. Base coat nail varnish (optional)
6. 1 x Orangewood stick
7. Swarovski rhinestones ss5 (1.8mm perfect for nails) Spread the rhinestones out and make sure that they are all facing faceted side up.
8. Water (Small amount to wet the stick)
9. Clean Dry Towel

Prepare all your equipment in advance so that when it comes to doing your nails you wont be looking around for the items and will have plenty of time for completing each step.

To use a stone for jewellery making it will either need to be top drilled to create a pendant or a hole needs to be drilled through the centre for stringing the stone. To achieve this you will need some equipment: a small electric drill, 3 diamond drill bits, one the desired hole size, one slightly larger and the other slightly smaller. You will also need a container, some water, a cutting board, some silly putty, 2 small elastic bands, a pencil and goggles for safety. If you require a 1mm hole through the stone you can use a .75mm bit, a 1mm bit and a 1.25mm drill bit (You can use a diamond ball burr instead of the larger drill bit).

Place the first elastic band over the pebble so that it runs vertically through the centre of the pebble and the second so that it runs again vertically but from the opposite side of the pebble to form a cross. The purpose of using the elastics is to work out the centre points for both the top and bottom of the stone. Mark the centre of the cross with the pen on both ends of the pebble, which will give you your positions for drilling.

Add a mound of putty to the centre of the cutting board and press the stone into the putty so that it’s held securely. Into the container you will need to place the cutting board and then add the water so that it covers the stone, which is there to reduce the heat friction build up from drilling and prevent the stone from cracking. If you are fortunate enough to have a vice you can use this instead of the putty and just make sure that you have a jet of water running over the stone throughout the drilling process. Also if it’s a clamp with metal jaws place a thin piece of wood or corrugated cardboard between the jaws and the stone to prevent the surface from being damaged.

Put on your protective goggles and insert the larger bit (or diamond ball burr) into the drill to create a small indent at both marked ends of the bead. The reason for using a larger drill bit to create a small hole is to provide a guide for the smaller drill bit that prevents it from slipping when we start to drill. Using the smaller drill bit set at a medium speed slowly start to drill through the stone about 3mm at a time and then withdrawing the drill from the stone to allow the water to flow into the hole and remove any debris and drill dust and cools the stone. Depending on the size of the stone in comparison to the drill bit, you may need to turn over the stone once you reach the half way point and drill from the opposite side. Once the stone has been drilled through completely start the process again with the middle sized drill bit to give the bead a nice clean hole.

When you buy pendants or gemstones from a bead or gemstone suppliers they will likely have been polished to give them that smooth desirable surface. This is something that can also be done to your beach pebbles and is relatively inexpensive. To give a polished smooth surface to your new pendant/bead you can use a piece of equipment called a tumble-polisher. These polishing machines can cost as little as £60 for a small tumbling machine that can hold up to 1.5kg of pebbles. They work by a motor continuously turning two small rods that are attached to two rubber barrels that continuously turn. Into the machine the pebbles, water and a coarse grinding grit is added, the machine then continuously tumbles the pebbles for about a week over which time their surface becomes polished to produce beautiful semi precious beads or pendants.

It’s important to note that beading wire is not the same as jewellery wire which is a solid strand of wire that is available in different hardnesses and thicknesses. Beading wire on the other hand comprises of a multitude of tiny wire strands that are twisted together to form a strong wire, that’s coated in a nylon sheath for protection. As a general rule of thumb the greater the number of strands the greater the flexibility and strength of the wire. So if you are looking to shape the wire in your design then choose a wire with less strands as it’s more likely to retain its shape once bent. On the flip side if you want flexibility so that the wire is more accommodating and bends smoothly or drapes elegantly choose a wire with a greater number of strands. The Beadalon range of wires comes in 7, 19 and 49 Strand.

Each of the manufacturer’s range of wires will vary slightly for instance Soft Flex is available in Very Fine, Fine, Medium and Heavy wire. The difference being that Very Fine for instance only has 7 strands and a much lower breaking strength than Heavy, which has 49 Strands. All of the wire ranges are available in different size diameters and spool lengths, the details of which are displayed on the reel.

Things to consider when starting your jewellery project

When starting your jewellery making project there are a few questions you will need to ask yourself?

1. How often will the jewellery item be worn?
2. What’s the smallest hole size of the beads to be used in the project?
3. How flexible does the wire need to be?
4. What kind of beads will be used in the design, are they light or heavy and if they are
   glass or semi-precious beads do they have abrasive edges?
5. What components will be used are they expensive Sterling Silver / Gold findings or
   something a lot cheaper.

If the items will be frequently worn then a stronger wire with more threads will ensure that the jewellery item has a longer life.

Choosing the right wire thickness is determined by the smallest bead hole being used for the jewellery piece. Ideally the wire selected should fill as much of the hole as possible to minimise any movement so that the wire doesn’t rub against the edge’s of the bead hole and wear unnecessarily.

If your jewellery design incorporates lampwork glass beads or semi precious beads which are quite heavy it’s recommended to use a wire with more strands which is stronger. Glass and gemstone beads can sometimes have abrasive edges which can rub against the wire and cut through the strands over time, to minimise this wear and tear is there are any abrasive edges its worth removing them with a small file.

Finally try and match the quality of the wire with the jewellery components being used. There is no point using 49 strand wire if the item of jewellery is only going to be worn once or if it’s just a test piece for demonstration. At the same time if the design incorporates expensive stones and findings use a higher quality beading wire as this will help to extend the life of the jewellery, as the wire if often the first thing to fail over time through wear and tear.

There are 4 basic types of pliers that are the most commonly used tools for jewellery making and these are side cutters, round nosed pliers, chain nosed pliers and flat nose pliers.

Side Cutters
Side cutters have sharp jaws that can come in a variety of shapes; these are used for cutting soft wires, threads or metal sheets. The shape of the cutters affect how the cut face will appear; general side cutters will leave the cut edge smooth and even.

Round Nosed Pliers
Round nose pliers have rounded jaws and are used to hold, shape and bend jewellery wire. They are used for creating loops, curves, circles and coils and are essential when making such items as earrings and adding bead charms to a bracelet amongst other things. The jaws of the pliers are tapered so this enables you to make a variety of different sized loops and gives a very professional finish to you jewellery. They can be purchased individually or as part of a set.

Chain Nosed Pliers
These are essential in any jewellery maker’s toolbox and are used for almost all aspects of jewellery making. They can be used for bending, holding, turning the wire and also opening and closing jump rings and crimping. Their small ends enable them to get into small spaces and grip the jewellery well.

Flat Nosed Pliers
Flat nose pliers have a slim flat service. They can be used for bending wire and also straightening any bends or kinks out of the wire. They can also be used for opening and closing jump rings and also for crimping crimp beads.

Specialist Pliers

Crimping Pliers
Crimping pliers are used to crush a metal crimp onto the wire to hold a bead or clasp into place. Although a chain nose pliers can be used for this a crimping pliers gives a much neater finish to you jewellery.

Round Nose Rosary Pliers
Rosary pliers are a combination of round nose pliers and side cutters. The round nose is used for making loops and curves and the side cutter is used for cutting wire or cord.

Plier’s Construction

Box Joint Versus Lap Joint Pliers
Most pliers are constructed with either box joints or lap joints to hinge and fasten the two halves of the pliers together. You will usually find that lesser quality budget pliers use a lap joint because their cheaper and easier to manufacture. Box joint pliers will always outlast and outperform lap joint pliers and are therefore a far superior type of pliers to choose for your jewellery making. Box joint pliers should retain precise alignment and experience no looseness or side play always open and close smoothly due to their joint construction. Lap joint pliers on the other hand tend to wear very quickly which will result in the pliers becoming loose and wobbly over time.

Spring Tension Pliers
When you close your pliers to pick something up or snip some wire with your cutters, if your pliers aren’t spring loaded they will stay shut once you release the tension. Some pliers have a single or double spring others have no spring at all to keep the jaws apart which means that you manually have to open and close the pliers. It’s worthy getting pliers with a single or double spring if you can afford them as they will help your hands from tiring so easily.

Material
Pliers are generally either made of stainless steel or hardened and tempered carbon steel. Stainless steel pliers have the benefit of never rusting, will have a good life span but aren’t as hard wearing as hardened steel, so will wear over time. Hardened and tempered carbon steel pliers are extremely tough and hard wearing but they do have a tendency to rust, so need to be oiled regularly.

Handles
Pliers can come with a range of handles including foam grip, PVC and ergonomically designed handles. A PVC grip is generally harder wearing than a foam grip but not as comfortable to use for long periods of time. Ergonomically designed pliers will cost more but if you’re doing repetitive work for long periods its well worth investing in a pair as they are more comfortable to use and less fatiguing.

Size
Pliers come in sizes ranging from miniature to Heavy Weight; miniature pliers are great for travelling with or occasional use, but not really suitable for prolonged use. Most jewellery making tasks can be successfully accomplished with light weight or medium weight pliers. Heavy weight pliers as the name suggests are more suitable for heavy duty work and are suitable for working with memory wire.