Whether you’ve decided to sew your own suit or buy a simple suit from a reputable competition bikini manufacturer, adding your own rhinestones adds a lot to your stage look and can save you HUNDREDS! There are so many options out there, though, and deciding among them can be difficult.
Choosing a stone type
I don’t use true Swarovski crystals for my suit. I know, it sounds crazy, but here’s why: Swarovski uses a precision cutting technique that gives you those gorgeous facets that reflect light. And, that comes with a price. You’ll pay about twice as much for Swarovski stones, compared to Preciosa Viva 12 czech crystals.
If you’re producing these suits for sale with significant markup or using the stones in something that will be viewed up close like jewelry or a wedding dress, of course it makes sense to use the genuine Swarovski crystals. If you’re making the suit for yourself, save 50% and use Preciosa. You’ll never notice the difference on stage, I promise!
You will also need to choose between flatback and Hotfix stones. Flatback stones are glued on individually, while Hotfix stones come with glue pre-applied on the back. You heat the stone, which melts the glue and adheres it to the suit. I prefer Flatback stones even though they don’t adhere as well.
When I originally wrote this post in 2016, I swore by Hotfix. I’ve noticed that the Hotfix tool dulls the top of the stones slightly, though. Gluing stones is a little harder, but worth the effort to preserve the shine. The glue I use is super strong, and even if you lose a stone or two, they’re easy to reapply.
Estimate how many stones
Before you start buying stones, it’s important to have a vision in mind for what you want the final suit to look like. Do you want rhinestones flowing out from the top or center corners? A few bursts in each spot? Or a fully rhinestoned suit? This will help you figure out the number of stones you want, and whether you want multiple colors.
Different stores sell stones in different quantities. Craft stores sell retail packs of 10-30 stones, while online stores sell in dozen, half gross, or gross packs. Keep in mind that most stores have order minimums when you purchase. If you’re planning to bling multiple suits or want to share stones with a friend, you can save more by purchasing in bulk, I prefer the hot fix dozen packs from Bead and Trim, which are sold in minimums of 144 stones (12 dozen). If you choose just one color stone, you may want to buy in their discounted gross packs (144 stones), sold in multiples of 10 gross.
You can see illustrative suit designs here. Wondering how many stones a particular suit you’ve seen online take? Email me.
Choose your crystals
The standard sized used on most competition bikinis is SS16, which is 3.8-4mm wide. Smaller stones are gorgeous, but take SO LONG to place – I don’t recommend it. Larger, SS20 stones {4.6-4.8mm} are good for “confetti” style designs, like many Ravish Sands suits. They’re easier to place, but since the entire suit will have fewer stones, you’ll have fewer facets to pick up the light and a little less sparkle.
I prefer to mix colors in a similar family – typically one standard stone and one AB stone. AB stones have a special back coating that gives them an iridescent appearance.
Not sure what will look best on your suit? Bead and Trim sells a Preciosa sample card for only $3.95 so you can see all of the color and size options for yourself.
Add trim
Trimming your suit with larger rhinestones adds extra shimmer on stage, and can be used to cover any uneven stitches in the trim on your suit. Whether or not to add it is a matter of personal preference – I’ve used it on one suit, and left another suit with plain trim to “frame” the rhinestoned center.
SS30 stones are ideal for trim. They are slightly narrower than the edging of the suit so you have enough surface to adhere the stones to. My last suit had 40 stones trimming each triangle {80 total for an A-cup top}. I didn’t add trim to the bottom, although you could easily with an additional 18 stones for the front and 40 stones for the back. Order 25% more stones than you think you’ll need – you may need more than you think, and some may fall off in the days leading up to the show and you’ll need replacements.
Let’s talk costs
We’ve spent $66 so far – $44 in fabric and sewing supplies on our suit and $22 for our five connectors.
Adding rhinestones yourself gives you control over the design and can save you hundreds based on the number of stones involved in the suit you’re making. The minimum investment in stoning your own suit is $12 for tools ($8 for the glue and $4 for a rhinestone applicator) and $6 for at least one gross of stones. After that, it’s really up to you!
| DESIGN | TO PURCHASE | DIY COST | SAVINGS TO DIY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trim only | $200 – 250 | $66 + $12 + $25 | $97 |
| Small scattering of medium stones | $200 – 240 | $66 + $12 + $6 | $116 – 156 |
| Accent stones radiating from top corners | $200 – 275 | $66 + $12 + $12 | $110 – 185 |
| Stones radiating from one corner across suit | $275 – 430 | $66 + $12 + $18 | $179 – 334 |
| Fully stoned, moderate spacing between stones | $360 – 474 | $66 + $12 + $54 | $218 – 332 |
| Fully stoned, minimal spacing between stones | $450 – 555 | $66 + $12 + $60 | $312 – 417 |
| Adding trim to any design | $50 | $66 + $12 + $25 | $13 |
Even for the most conservative design, you’ve saved yourself at least $110 – and for only $49 more, you can have a fully stoned suit valued at $400 or more!
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Thank for you writing this blog series! I’m competing in my first show in June and ordered a plain bikini and plan to put crystals on it myself. I’ve already ordered ss16 and ss20 crystals for the main fill. What stone size would you recommend for the trim of the bikini? I saw SS30 being used in another blog for the bikini trim, let me know what size you recommend!
I recommend SS30 as well. They fit perfectly over the trim!
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to bedazzle my suit 😀
Hey! Do you by chance have the DIY for the bottoms? Your instructions are the best on the internet but I’m stuck at the bottoms!
The bottoms are SO difficult to get the sizing right – although I had no issue doing it for myself. I’ve got a tutorial in the works now.
My wife loves arts and crafts, and my daughter loves rhinestones, so I think that being able to combine the two and find some wholesale online on things they could use would be great. I like how you talked about thinking what the final product is going to look like before you order wholesale rhinestones online. I’m going to have to see what she thinks would be good and see if we can surprise my daughter with some wholesale rhinestones for her projects! Thanks for the help!
That sounds like such a fun idea! She could easily rhinestone pieces for herself. I’m not sure her age, but you may want to suggest she use the glue rather than the tool for safety reasons.
This might be a silly questions, but is there a difference between the flat back and the foiled back crystals? Can I use the foil back?
It depends on what you’re calling “foiled back”. All of my flat backs that are AB stones have a foil back, which gives that iridescent sheen. Just stay away from “hot fix” if you’re using glue.