Incorporating rhinestones in your shop is an easy-entry value-added service. It requires a very small investment and not too much specialized knowledge. Here are 10 things to remember when buying and applying bling.

1. Sometimes less is more, but sometimes more is right. Don’t be afraid of using rhinestones because you think your item will be too blingy. Sometimes less is more. It could be as simple as one rhinestone dotting an “i” that makes all the difference. On the other hand, there are times when a lot of rhinestones are needed. Listen to your customers to figure out what will work best.

Your chosen design and target market will determine whether to use a lot or just a little sparkle.

2. Both tone-on-tone and color pops can be effective. There are many rhinestone colors to choose from. When designing, you need to decide if you want a little sparkle or a big pop. Using rhinestone colors that match the fabric or embroidery may be enough to add the bling you need. However, you may also want to make a design pop by using contrasting colors, like crystal rhinestones on a blue shirt.

3. Invest in a color card. If you’re serious about offering rhinestones, a color card is a must, since it’s the only way to know the true color of each rhinestone. It’ll make it a lot easier when designing and matching to fabric. Don’t worry, color cards are inexpensive.

4. Use high-quality rhinestones. You get what you pay for. It’s that simple. If you use cheap rhinestones, they won’t give you good sparkle, the glue isn’t likely to hold well and they’ll look cheap.

5. Use HotFix rhinestones and a heat press. HotFix rhinestones have heat-activated glue on the back, which provides the strongest bond to fabric. For the best application, use a heat press to apply. Heat presses start around $300, though the price goes up depending on the size and features offered.

6. Follow the recipe. Applying HotFix rhinestones is a lot like cooking. It’s a recipe with three important elements: time, pressure and temperature. Depending on the kind of fabric you’re using, you may need more pressure – think denim versus lightweight cotton. Make sure to get a heat press that allows you to adjust for all three. (This is also why you shouldn’t use an iron to apply rhinestones.)

7. Test, test, test. I can’t stress this enough: Before you apply bling onto your final product, test the time, pressure and temperature recipe on a swatch of your chosen fabric. Make adjustments as needed. The rhinestones should stick and not be easily peeled off by fingernails. If applied properly, rhinestones won’t come off of fabric, even after years of washing.

8. Avoid waterproof material. HotFix rhinestones won’t adhere to waterproof materials. Fabric with a waterproof coating – as well as most screen prints – won’t absorb the rhinestone glue. If you want to add bling to a screen-printed design, apply the rhinestones directly to the fabric, not the print itself. (To check whether a screen print is waterproof, do a water-drop test. If the drop isn’t absorbed into the print, it’s waterproof.) Embroidery isn’t waterproof, so it’s perfectly fine to apply rhinestones directly onto stitching.

9. Sometimes transfers are the answer. If you’re applying a few rhinestones (one to five) on each product, it might make sense just to apply by hand. However, if you have a specific design that needs to be replicated, a large design or you simply don’t have time, then have a rhinestone transfer made.

10. Use authorized vendors. Know who you’re buying from and only use authorized resellers. Don’t scour eBay or other discount sites for deals. Just as with designer items, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. You wouldn’t expect to pay $50 for a real Chanel handbag, would you? There are a lot of counterfeit rhinestones out there, especially of the Swarovski brand. An authorized reseller will have a special Authorized Reseller logo on its website. If you’re purchasing full factory packages, make sure they’re sealed.

Alisa Mandel Nogen is CEO of Har-Man Importing, a wholesale distributor of rhinestones since 1948. Har-Man is an authorized reseller of Swarovski crystals, Preciosa crystals and STAR BRIGHT Austrian crystals. Contact her at alisa@harmanbeads.com.