AB crystals are a flatback rhinestone with an iridescent coating over the top. This coating reflects the colours that surround it, so against pale surfaces it shines pinks, purples, yellows and golds. Or against a darker background, it shines blues, greens, yellows and darker purples. Read about the difference between Clear and AB for an in depth guide.

The term ‘AB’ stands for Aurora Borealis, named after the magical effect of the Northern Lights, it is a multicoloured rhinestone offering all the colours of the rainbow.

If a rhinestone has the colour name, plus an AB after it, this means the iridescent AB coating has been applied over the top. For example ‘Fuchsia’ is a hot pink colour offering just that one shade of pink. Whereas, ‘Fuchsia AB’ is the same hot pink crystal but with the AB coating applied over the top, so it shines with different pink shades and gives the effect of more depth and sparkle.

AB rhinestones can be applied in exactly the same way as any other rhinestones: Hotfix method (heat on), non hotfix method (glue on) or by sewing on.

AB crystal rhinestones are used for all sorts of embellishment projects, such as decorating performance costumes, dancewear, bridalwear, nail art, cardmaking, craft, textiles, jewellery making and any other blinging project. AB rhinestones are one of the most popular crystals for embellishing because they work well with every colour, provide a huge amount of sparkle and are available in every shape and size possible.