Difference between a Blue Zircon rhinestone and a Blue Zircon AB rhinestone?

[tuxedosam]

I recently bought a Latin costume that lost a few rhinestones. I am not quite sure of the stone color. Unfortunately the previous owner does not know more than I do.

They are SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL RHINESTONES FLAT BACKs (the glue on type I believe).
If I am not mistaken I think they are the Xilion Rose Flatback type Rhinestone.

I am more concerned about the color. I went online and checked out the rhinestones color chart. It seems like the colors vary from site to site, must be the quality of the pictures... It's so hard to tell. I also visited BeadWorks Boston but unfortunately they only sell beads but not rhinestones. I am hoping to buy replacement stones from the Internet but currently I am really having trouble matching the color.

The rhinestones look "turquoise" color to me.

1. The 3 colors that I think could be possible (from what I saw online) are Blue Zircon, Indicolite and Capri Blue. I personally believe Blue Zircon would be the closest to turquoise. Please tell me if I am wrong.

2. How do I tell from a blue zircon and a blue zircon AB? I know AB stands for Aurora Borealis but how can I differentiate an AB from a non AB line? What are the characteristics?

Any recommended websites for rhinestones purchase (with reasonable pricing)? Or does anyone know stores that sell rhinestones in the Boston area?

Thank you very much!

[Whirling Dervish]

An AB crystal has an iridescent rainbow (very pale) quality, and will often throw many different colors of light regardless of the color of the source. Non AB crystals are all just color and mostly throw their own color plus any ambient colors around you.

I really like the AB, but only in clear or blue. With other colors they seem too muddy and confuse the reflected color. An exception to this is when you have a cloth color that exactly matches the stone color. Red AB looks brown to me quite often, but other people seem to like it.

[DancerForLife]

Depending on how urgent your re-stoning needs are, you might want to consider purchasing a rhinestone card and compare colors. Also, many eBay sellers offer stones by the gross for 5-8 bucks, you can buy a small quantity of a few likely candidates and compare that way.

Or perhaps your pro / coach / someone at the studio can help?

[PasoDancer]

AB means "Aurora Borealis", and yes- iridesces. The plain ones don't.

[Laura]

I've worked with turquoise before, and depending on the exact shade you're going to need either Capri Blue, Capri Blue AB, Blue Zircorn, or BLue Zircorn AB.

Blue Zircorn is actually rather on the green side, but like I said it all depends on the color of the fabric.

The blue stones with AB on them reflect the color of the stone plus different blue and green and even sometimes purpleish shades. The ones without the AB coating just give over a solid, unchanging color. So, if when you move the stones around they don't throw off different colors, then they don't have the AB coating.

If you know someone who makes costumes, show them the dress. A number of people (including myself) can tell what color a stone is just by looking at it, without the stone card :)

[DancingJools]

Try Backbay dancewear in Burlington. They usually carry rhinestones in basic colors, and will help you decide. You can buy small quanitities from them, at the usual retail prices.
Rhinestones actually change color once they are on the dress, in the sense that they pick up the hue of that fabric and so what may look turquoise to you could actually be your basic Sapphire or Light Sapphire (these two colors are very versatile and will go with most anything that is bluish).
I strongly doubt it is Indicolite. That's a new color that came out in beads (about a couple of years old). I haven't seen it in flatbacks, and I strongly doubt your dress has that color.
You could also try Aqua and Aqua AB. This is a light turquoise color. And, there is the color Turquoise in flatbacks. It is not a see-trhough color, though (it is a mat, or opaque, color).
Generally speaking, the rhinestone color should be lighter than the fabric color, if you are trying to get the luminous or sparkly effect. It loses this luminosity the closer it gets to the color of the fabric (i.e. it starts to blend in, rather than sparkle). If the stone is darker than the fabric, it is best used to create a pattern on the fabric, because otherwise I think you are just wasting the stone and it is not going to produce a sparkly effect.
What I'm trying to say is, if the stones are sparkling on the dress, they are probably a lighter color than the fabric, and that might help determine what color they are.