A
- AB (Aurora Borealis)
- A rainbow iridescent coating on a crystal that makes it flash multiple colors as light hits it. "Crystal AB" is one of the most popular finishes.
- Applicator
- Any tool used to pick up and place rhinestones, such as a waxed pick-up pencil or a hotfix wand.
B
- Backing
- The material on the back of a rhinestone. Foil backing reflects light up through the stone. Glue backing melts when heated (hotfix). Plain backing has neither.
- Bling
- Casual term for rhinestone embellishment, or the rhinestones themselves.
- Bulk
- A larger quantity of stones purchased at a discounted per-stone price. Usually measured in gross.
C
- Chaton
- A pointed-back crystal that sits in a metal setting, not a flatback. Used more in jewelry than in stoning.
- Coating
- A thin layer applied to the top of a stone to create special effects (AB, shimmer, matte, etc.).
- Crystal
- Technically a type of glass with lead or leaded replacement for extra sparkle. In casual rhinestoning language, used interchangeably with "rhinestone."
- Cushion fill
- A placement pattern where stones are packed tightly at the center and spaced more loosely toward the edges. Creates a glow effect.
D
- Density
- How tightly stones are packed into an area. Measured in stones per square inch or by the gap between stones.
- Diamante
- Another word for rhinestone, mostly used in Europe and the fashion industry.
E
- E6000
- A strong craft adhesive commonly used to apply flatback rhinestones to a wide range of surfaces.
F
- Facet
- The flat polished surfaces cut into a crystal that reflect and refract light. More facets means more sparkle.
- Fill pattern
- The arrangement of stones within a shape: grid, honeycomb, scatter, cushion, or linear.
- Flatback
- A rhinestone with a flat back, designed to be glued or fused onto surfaces. The most common type for crafting and stoning.
- Foil back
- A flatback rhinestone with a metallic foil coating on the back that reflects light up through the stone, increasing sparkle.
G
- Glass rhinestone
- A rhinestone made from machine-cut glass. The most common type for stoning work. Comes in many finishes and colors.
- Grid fill
- A placement pattern where stones are arranged in straight, aligned rows. Uses the most stones.
- Gross
- A unit of count equal to 144. "10 gross" equals 1,440 stones. Used by wholesale suppliers.
H
- Honeycomb fill
- A placement pattern where rows are offset by half a stone so each stone nests into the gap between the two above and below. Tighter and more efficient than a grid.
- Hotfix
- A rhinestone with a glue layer on the back that melts when heated, bonding the stone to fabric. Applied with a heat tool or heat press.
L
- Linear fill
- Stones placed along a line, curve, or outline rather than filling an area. Used for tracing seams, outlining letters, or creating borders.
N
- Non-hotfix
- A flatback rhinestone without a heat-activated adhesive. Applied with craft glue (E6000, GemTac, etc.) instead of heat. Often preferred for tumblers and rigid surfaces.
P
- Pearl Plate (PP)
- An older rhinestone sizing system that predates SS. Some suppliers still list sizes in PP. A PP chart can convert between PP and SS or mm.
- Preciosa
- A Czech manufacturer of high-quality machine-cut crystals, often considered a step below Swarovski in the premium tier.
R
- Rhinestone
- A faceted imitation diamond, originally made from quartz or glass. Used to describe the broad category of machine-cut sparkle stones.
S
- Scatter fill
- A placement pattern where stones are distributed with intentional gaps at irregular spacing. Uses the fewest stones of any fill. Beginner-friendly.
- Setting
- A metal frame (usually brass or silver) that holds a pointed-back chaton in place on jewelry. Not used for flatback crafts.
- SS (Stone Size)
- The modern standard for rhinestone size. "SS16" means a stone roughly 4mm in diameter. Higher number means bigger stone. See the sizing guide.
- Strass
- A term for high-quality imitation crystal glass, originally coined by 18th-century jeweler Georg Friedrich Strass. Sometimes used as a verb ("strassing") for applying rhinestones.
- Swarovski
- An Austrian crystal manufacturer famous for premium machine-cut crystals. Note: Swarovski stopped producing loose crystal components for crafters in 2021, so most "Swarovski-like" stones on the market today are from other manufacturers.
T
- Tumbler
- An insulated cup or bottle, often stainless steel, commonly used as a surface for rhinestone crafting projects.
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