It’s easy to go online and buy inexpensive flatback crystal jewels for nail art… which is great when your budget is tight or you are just starting out. But if you really want to wear (or offer to your clients) a quality product that has stood the test of time, I suggest trying out Swarovski brand products. “Swarovski is synonymous with sparkle. It is, after all, one of the largest purveyors of crystal, and a behemoth in the jewelry industry.” Clients will most likely recognize this brand name.
Why Swarovski, though?
- Swarovski produces a higher quality product than you will find from other, cheaper sources – the jewel is not an imitation crystal made from acrylic or glass; “They’re actually lead glass crystals created using quartz, sand, and minerals.” It turns out that the lead content, about 30%, aids in the reflection of the colors (it is not dangerous to your health to wear lead encapsulated in jewelry).
- Swarovski is putting resources into modernizing its products– this will help solidify the brand’s staying power, but also benefits the nail tech and the consumer because, in a trend-driven marketplace, it can remain relevant. For this reason, many top-notch designers (think Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel) have used this product in their designs.
- Swarovski jewels stand up to the wear and tear nail jewelry receives better than cheap glass or plastic gems. When I first started buying nail jewelry I was short on funds and would buy from anywhere that was cheap, online or on clearance at Sally Beauty. These gems didn’t last very long at all, maybe a couple days, before their surface became scratched and cloudy. This was fine for me at the time, but when I became a professional I realized that I needed to offer an elevated product to my clients. I also wanted to my designs to last longer. This is what I’ve experienced with Swarovski products. To get technical about the durability, “Swarovski crystal has a Mohs hardness of between 6-7 so its susceptible to scratches and chipping from wear and tear but at the same time it’s harder than standard glass. The lead content in the crystal increases the refraction index of the glass from 1.5 to 1.7 to give the faceted faced a more sparkly appearance.”
Swarovski offers a wide range of beautiful colors and shapes – with flatback crystal sizes intended to be used in and packaged for nail art. I LOVE that Swarovski has recognized the needs of nail artists! And I love that they have created packages of complimentary colored jewels especially for nail art. They’ve taken the guesswork out of selecting jewel colors – how great is that??!!? Here is my current favorite:
Have I convinced you to try these yet? I’ve gotten really good results with Swarovski products so far (I DO NOT WORK for Swarovski, and this IS NOT a sponsored post). I just wanted to share my thoughts with fellow nail artists in case it is helpful for someone.
You can buy these nail-specific Swarovski products locally at craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s(they seem to be around the same price at both stores, and you can usually use coupons on these at either store) or online at some nail supply stores. The photos above were taken at my local Hobby Lobby – you can see they had a great selection.
Have you tried these yet? What were your results?
Smoke & Mirrors nail art blog 