Swarovski crystals can help you to stand out from the competition, due to their sparkly shine and array of colours and sizes. Founded in 1895, Swarovski has been creating precision cut crystals made from quartz, sand and minerals for years now. Here at Crystal Parade we pride ourselves on our huge range of Swarovski crystals. Our crystals have been featured in productions such as Riverdance and WICKED.
There are two types of crystals that you can choose from for your sparkly dance costumes. The first one is clear crystal, which has one base colour throughout. The second one is AB crystal, which stands for Aurora Borealis. The name is taken from the phenomenon known as the Northern Lights. The iridescent coating that changes the tone of the crystal. Pink, purple, silver or blue colors shine depending on what is reflected on the surface.
This type of crystal can have an incredible effect on your dance dress, whether it is for ballroom or ballet. Swarovski have recently created Shimmer Crystals that act in the same way and come in a wide variety of colours that we stock.
HOT-FIX OR NON-HOTFIX: WHICH SHOULD I USE?
While you can choose to use Swarovski sew on beads, buttons and pearls, most people will choose from either hot-fix crystals or non-hotfix crystals. If you have never used either before, then you may not know what the difference is. We are here to help!
Hot-fix crystals are flat-backed crystals that have a glue on the back which is activated by heat using a tool such as the Kandi Kane applicator wand or even the household iron.
They can be applied to a variety of materials such as denim, silk, satin and even cotton, making them very versatile. So, no matter what your dress is made of, you can be sure that it will sparkle. On the other hand, non-hotfix crystals can only be applied with an adhesive such as e6000 or Gem Tac.
The crystals themselves are flat backed and are either foiled or un-foiled. Foiled crystals allow the light to travel through the crystal and reflect back, making them shimmer in the light. Un-foiled crystals are perfect to use on materials that are translucent or transparent such as mesh or sheer fabrics, where you wouldn’t want to see the foiled backing. Check out our blog post to find out the best materials to use to help apply non-hotfix crystals.
CHOOSING YOUR CRYSTALS FOR YOUR SPARKLY DANCE COSTUMES
Swarovski hotfix and non-hotfix crystals are sold in individual wholesale or small packs depending on what size and colour you want. You can purchase the mixed crystal packs. These packs are often themed, such as the Autumn and Tutti Fruity mix. They come with a mixture of colours and sizes to add variety to your costumes.
Coming in packs of 100 or 200 crystals, you will find that these mixed packs are great value for money. Sometimes they add in crystals of different shapes, such as love hearts or snowflakes depending on the theme of the pack. Single colours, they can come in small packs of 100 or wholesale packs that reach 1440.
The size of the Swarovski crystals can be as small as 1.5mm and reach up to 11mm. When it comes to dance costumes, a mixture of sizes will add variety to the fabrics and make you stand out even more. Below you will see an example of some colours we stock, with a mixture of clear and AB crystals. You can see the full selection of colours for the Swarovski Elements crystals by checking out the colour chart.
OUR COLLECTION OF CRYSTALS
We have a stunning collection of trimmings, the latest fashionable crystals, custom tools and design elements for your crystal costumes and nail art.