Depending on what you want to embellish... there are three popular methods.

• Mounting - using a hand or automated machine. Tiffany mounts use prongs that come from back of clothing and bend over the front edges of the rhinestone or Rim Settings with prongs that go through the fabric and are bent to hold the rhinestone in place. Either way the not very popular and used mainly for belts, jackets, purses and other thick materials. Very time consuming and difficult. We do not sell these settings.

• Gluing - use a quality glue and place the rhinestones one at a time. You can use regular flat back or hot fix crystals. Manually apply the glue first then place the rhinestones one at a time with a Crystal Pick Stick or tweezers. It's messy, time consuming (waiting for glue to dry) and glues are messy. It can be a nightmare if the decorated item moves before the glue is completely dry. It's best not to dry clean items with glue set stones set. Swarovski hot fix rhinestones are safe for dry cleaning. NOTE: since hot fix crystals have a textured glue backing, they actually hold better than plain flat back if you are using glue. How to tell if you need glue - click here.

• Hot Fix - FAVORITE! The rhinestones have a heat sensitive glue on the back (bottom) of each rhinestone. When the glue is heated using the BeJeweler it will permanently fuse the rhinestone to any porous surfaces. See BeJeweler directions here. Hot fix rhinestones are extremely durable, quick to apply and there is no waiting time for the glue to dry. The BeJeweler will apply hot fix crystals permanently to any porous surface. It's perfect for hats, purses, shoes, fabrics, paper, scrapbooks, lamp shades, wallpaper (and much more). Also great on delicate, difficult fabrics and uneven surfaces that cannot withstand direct heat form an iron or heat press.

  If you are applying a large quantity of the same size crystals, you can use a heat press or a flat dry iron. For details on applying with a heat press or household iron - click here. Items decorated with Swarovski hot fix rhinestones can be gently washed or dry cleaned.