Crystal heart shapes are among the most popular shaped rhinestones for nail art, and particularly at this time of the year. Flatback hearts can be used in lots of different ways to create a unique design, and some crystal manufacturers like Swarovski also produce 3D pointy back hearts. Using chunky crystals like these can really enhance the overall look and offers more sparkle.
In this article we’d like to share our top 5 ways to incorporate hearts into your crystal manicure.
1. Swarovski Pointy Back Hearts – Our fantastic range of crystal hearts includes the much sought after 3D Swarovski heart which is a vintage stone not often found on the market. We have a range of rich colours including Siam red, Emerald green, Sapphire blue and Clear crystal. In the example below we have used 2 x Amethyst purple hearts to create a cluster effect in the centre of the nail, and some Preciosa clear rhinestones to add extra sparkle. You could also use the pointy back gems at the base of the nail and surround with caviar beads to highlight them.
2. Preciosa Opal Hearts – A fairly new trend to the nail art world is the use of opal cabochons. These are flatback embellishments that have a smooth domed top and give off an opal effect. They are often made in pale pastel colours and look great with the opal effect crystals such as White Opal and Rose Opal. The large chunky heart cabochon we have showcased here is a beautiful lemon yellow colour – the sherbet inspired opals are great for a feminine design without being overly pink and girly.
3. Round rhinestones – The main staple of a rhinestone manicure is the simple round flatback crystal. Preciosa and Zodiac offer a fantastic variety of colours and sizes ideal for nail art, we recommend using sizes ss3 (1.5mm) – ss9 (2.8mm) for the most intricate designs and ss16 (4mm) upwards for large statement designs. To create a simple heart made out of rhinestones we’ve used a combination of ss5 and ss7, the two different sizes makes it easier when creating a curve or corner. Here we’ve used Zodiac Light Pink on a pink glitter nail. Although it looks simple at first glance, each individual crystal catches the light beautifully, really drawing the eye.
4. Coloured Heart – Zodiac makes an intricate light siam heart flatback rhinestone that has a strong foiled backing. It can be glue to the nail using crystal fix glue, or applied straight to the top gel then cured. The facets of the crystal meet in the centre, creating a brilliant sparkle. Here we have used the red heart as the main focal point of the design, with just a few round rhinestones in different sizes to enhance the overall look. We like the use of the striking bright red against the pure snow white of the nail, it offers a classic Valentine’s Day feel.
5. Clear & AB Heart – Without doubt, the two most popular colours in the crystal world are Clear and AB, they work will with any other colour and look good on all backgrounds. All three major crystal brands produce hearts in these colours, here are two simple ways to feature them on a nail. Again we’ve added some Zodiac non hotfix rhinestones to accompany the hearts.
