What are Rhinestones?

Rhinestones originally were rock crystals for the river Rhine. Over the years, they have been made from several different elements, for example, rock crystal, glass and acrylic. Today, most rhinestones are made to imitate diamonds. Designers are using rhinestones for costumes, bridal dresses, ball room dresses, everyday t-shirts and much more.

As of right now, there is one type of rhinestone that is above all the rest. Swarovski Crystal rhinestones are by far the best type of rhinestone you can get today. 99.9% of the time, top designers for wedding dresses, customs and custom fashions will use Swarovski Rhinestones for there pieces, hence the reason for the steep prices. Swarovski rhinestones and Preciosa (second in quality) are both made with Lead Crystal. The lead adds more light reflection to the stone. These rhinestones are easy to find BUT come at a high price. If you are looking to make your own rhinestone t-shirt or apparel to sell, you may want to look at purchasing Swarovski Rhinestones at wholesale prices. This is the only way you will save money. If you try to buy per package, you will end up paying a lot more then you will be able to sell your product!

We at IBXpressions, started with Swarovski Rhinestones but soon found out that the quality of the crystal isn't worth the price for our line of apparel. We use Korean Glass Rhinestones that are made of glass (hint, hint) and that still sparkle in the sun and under a household light. These by far the the most cost effective type of rhinestone you can get today. As of May, we have started selling Korean Hotfix Rhinestones and Rhinestuds. We have some of the more competitive prices out on the web today. We will be adding flatback rhinestones soon.

Hotfix rhinestones are rhinestones that have an adhesive glue on the back of the rhinestone. You can apply these rhinestones with a household iron, a Rhinestone Wand and a Heat Press. The easiest way to apply rhinestones to garments and is the cheapest way the Rhinestone Applicator. If you are planning on doing rhinestone designs on a commercial basis, it might be best if you purchase a heat press to apply your rhinestone designs to your garments. There are several ways you can produce your designs to your garment. Either you can use Mylar heat transfer paper, rhinestone templates, or you can purchase a rhinestone setting machine. The last option would only be used if you have high volume orders for it to be cost effective. Later on, we will show you how easy it is set your rhinestone design on Mylar paper. You can start producing your own designs easier then you think!

Flatback rhinestones are rhinestones that are flat on the back and that require you to use a glue to attach them to the garment. You will need to purchase tweezers, glue, q-tips and flatback rhinestones to begin. There are several types of glues you can get that will work. Most sites will recommend Gem Tac. It is an multi purpose adhesive bonds rhinestones to rhinestones, gems, crystals, glitter, wire, metal findings, any other semi-porous surface. Great for fabric; dries crystal clear. Cleans up with water, but once fully set will withstand washing in cold water. If you plan on going this route, you will be save a bit of money, but the application process is much longer then hotfix rhinestone application. Just keep that in mind, but really it is up to you on how you want to proceed. When done right your results should look the same.

This is just a quick run down on rhinestones and what you can do with them. Check back soon for how to application instructions for both hotfix rhinestones and flatback rhinestones. To see our current product, go to http://www.ibxpressions.com!

Rhinestone Apparel and What to Look For

As you know, fashion is changing all the time. Things that were in 10 years are ago are back on the clothing rack, bringing back memories but starting a new one with their new and improved appearance. One thing that has been pretty consistent over the years is the pretty, sparkling rhinestone. The one and only thing that has changed is the quality.

When buying anything, quality is very important. You don't want to throw down $40 on a one of a kind t-shirt and have it fade after a couple of washes. You need to be able to trust what you are buying is going to last you for as long as you opt to wearing the garment. Knowing this, we at IBXpressions.com take quality very seriously. The rhinestones that we use are permanent and will NOT fall off after washings (following washing instructions). We only provide top of the line t-shirts, sweat shirts, hoodies, yoga gear, bags and hats! We stand behind everything we sale and if you are not 100% satisfied with your purchase, we will refund your money!

We are the home of unique and one-of-a-kind rhinestone apparel. There are hundreds of websites out there selling rhinestone apparel but what you have to look out for is not only the quality of the garment, but the quality of the rhinestone as well. There are several different types of rhinestones out on the market today. Some sites in regards to cost will offer plastic rhinestones. These rhinestones do not sparkle like the glass crystals that we use. If you are in the market in purchasing a rhinestone garment, make sure you are getting the SPARKLE you want! Because honestly, what is the point of buying a rhinestone garment if it isn't going to sparkle in the sun!

IBXpressions has ready to go t-shirts and other products, but some of these products you can personalize yourself. For an even more personalized option, if you have a design you would like to put on a t-shirt, hat, hoodie or on any other product, and you want to see it sparkle in vibrate colors, you can send in your design to our design team and we will draft up a mock template. We will provide you a copy of the template, then, you can decide if you want to purchase it. That simple! Express Yourself in Sparkle today! - http://www.ibxpressions.com