cheap stones (rhinestones -that is!)

[malaya217]

where can i buy cheaper stones, like around the price of 2/3 per gross, size 16ss or 20ss :evil: ?

also what tanner does anyone recomend thats gives a really good glow, not a brown dirty kind of color?

[Katarzyna]

I think for that budget you will have to go for plastic stones...

[twnkltoz]

I have a source that charges about $6.50 for 20ss and I think $4.50 for 10ss (Swarovsky). pm me if you want their contact info. I don't think you're going to find them much cheaper than that for the real deal!

[tasche]

You'd have to either go wholesale for that price and it wont go that low for swarovski. You may be able to get czech wholesale for that but only the table cut kind not the fully machine kind. Korean rhinestones are a little cheaper than what your looking for but be prepared to throw alot of duds away as quality is spotty

[Vince A]

Always spend the extra $$$ for the Austrian crystals - Swarovski - and get the AB crystals . . . you can SEE the difference and it shows on your costumes!

[sunderi]

The best price per value I've found for stones (I only use Swarovski) is at rainbowsoflight.com

As for tanner, I do the Mystic Tan machine. They sell bottled tanner (same stuff) at the salons that do Mystic Tan and I like the results. A friend of mine who is a professional rhythm competitor swears by Mary Kay Sunless Tanning. Another friend uses something called Fake Bake and it seems to work very well for her.

[Joe]

Wow, those are really good prices.

[tasche]

Call first though Joe. I used to order beads from there and they'd never mention if something was in stock or not unless you called first and bc they are a semi-wholesaler they are obligated by Swarovski to charge a currency surcharge ontop of the prices though when the $ is strong ( which it ain't that sometimes means a discount) right now for my wholesale its 9.85% though my wholesale prices are lower than this place to it all evens out

[pygmalion]

I think for that budget you will have to go for plastic stones...

Plastic stones?

[Laura]

Acrylic, actually. They are cheap and lightweight but they don't have the sparkle of crystal. Still, if you need lots of stones and the design is getting too heavy, they're a feasible alternative.

[pygmalion]

Where do you get them? I've seen a few suppliers for crystals, but not acrylic.

[twnkltoz]

Acrylic, actually. They are cheap and lightweight but they don't have the sparkle of crystal. Still, if you need lots of stones and the design is getting too heavy, they're a feasible alternative.

Could you mix acrylic and crystal, to get some good sparkle but keep the cost down?

[Laura]

Sure, why not?

I don't know if he's still in business, but The Rhinestone Guy used to sell acrylics over the internet. And you can also get them at crafty stores like Michael's or JoAnne.