What is the hottest topic in your office after a weekend’s TV viewing?
Maybe you are watching The Masked Singer? Are you trying to figure out which celebrities are hiding behind those amazing masks and then debating which costume is the best?
Of course, we are all a little biased here at Crystal Parade….. it has to be the Unicorn with all that sparkle! Each crystal and sequin has been applied by hand by the talented team at the Brighton-based production and prop company Plunge Creations.
As you can imagine, to create such intricate and decorative set of costumes, it will have taken a large team of people and a vast amount of time to make sure that each mask and outfit were perfect for the live shows.
To create such wonderful costumes, you will need different skill sets including sculptors, seamstresses, costume makers, mould makers, metal workers and finishers.
All these skilled people will need the right tools for the job; the finisher will be the person responsible for applying all of those flatback rhinestones - one at a time!
When applying crystals to a mask and/or costumes, we recommend the Gem Tac glue which is a brilliant glue that is also machine washable. There are several pick up tools to choose from, the Rolls Royce of pick up tools is the Crystal Katana which has a specialized jewellery wax with a metal placement tip to enable you to adjust your crystals. Or you can choose the basic but does-the-job pick-up pencil, which is ideal for one off crystallizing projects.
Which crystal should you use when crystallizing your mask? If you wish to fully crystallize your mask with flatback crystals, we recommend that you use no hotfix crystals in varying sizes from SS10 (3mm) and possibly up to SS30 (6mm). Apply just a few beads of Gem Tac glue, making sure each bead of glue is slightly smaller than the crystal to the surface of the mask then using your pick up tool place the crystal onto of the bead of glue.
Inspired by The Masked Singer’s crystallized unicorn, you too can add crystals to your costumes using crystals from Crystal Parade, view our range of crystals here.