Rhinestones are a versatile accessory you can tack onto just about anything, from clothing to home decor. If you’re a fan of glitz and glam, here are ten popular items you can add rhinestones to. After all, you can never have too much bling!

Crystallized Projects by Christine Murphy LLC

Shoes

Whether you’re a soon-to-be-bride dreaming of sparkling wedding heels that make you feel like a queen on your big day or a trendsetting teen who wants blinged out sneakers to flaunt at school, rhinestones can make the look you’re envisioning a reality.

While it’s best to rhinestone shoes when they’re still new, you can rhinestone older shoes as well. Just make sure you clean them beforehand since dirt and dust can affect your glue’s adhesion and cause rhinestones to fall off. For leather shoes or shoes with a finish that may cause the glue to not stick properly, you may want to prime the material with isopropyl alcohol, acetone, or another recommended leather cleaner/deglazer.  After you prime the shoes, do not touch the material with you fingers since the natural oils from your skin can also cause glue to not properly stick.  Test, test, test!  What works on one material may not work on another.  

Before you start to bedazzle, plan your design. You could cover the entire shoe, but this isn’t recommended for shoes that will get a lot of use. Rhinestones won’t last long in areas that constantly bend or bump into things. For a pair or special occasion shoes that get a lot of care, go for it!  A completely covered pair of pumps will definitely be a fun and eye-catching project worth the investment. Consider placing your rhinestones on sturdier parts of the shoe, like the heel or quarter, for extra durability and longevity. You can use a variety of rhinestone sizes on your shoes; 5ss to 16ss tend to look the best, but you can go even larger if you’d prefer. Once you have your stones in hand and a vision in mind, you can attach the rhinestones with glue or a hotfix tool, such as a BeJeweler. 

Hats

Hats are another apparel item perfect for rhinestoning. While you can add rhinestones to many kinds of hats, baseball caps, cowboy hats, and fedoras are some of the most popular forms of headgear to decorate. You can use regular rhinestones to cover your hat, but a quicker option is to use a rhinestone trim or applique along the hat band.  Get creative and combine appliques and several sizes of rhinestones to create a truly custom look. 

Throw Pillows

A pillow covered in hard stones may not sound very comfy, but rhinestone pillows are much plusher than they seem—and they’re posh to boot. Because pillows are one of the larger items on this list, you’ll have a generously sized canvas to work with. This gives you a lot of flexibility when it comes to design. You can create something simple or use every bit of the larger space to go all out with an ornate masterpiece.

Wine Glasses and Bottles

Wine is a fancy drink that deserves a fancy container. You can add rhinestones to every part of a glass, including the base, stem, bowl, and rim. The same goes for bottles; you can ornament every inch, from the heel to the closure. Rhinestone trims work extremely well for this kind of project due to the curved shapes of glasses and bottles, but you may want to use individual rhinestones for the narrower parts of the glass or bottle. Before placing rhinestones on your wine container, don’t forget to wipe it down with rubbing alcohol to remove any dirt and dust. This ensures the glue and your rhinestones hold fast.

Phone Cases

Your phone case is a blank canvas you can use to showcase your personality. If you’re a fun-loving or classy person who lives for sparkles, why not proudly show that side of yourself by bedazzling your case with colorful crystals?  If you start with a clear phone cover, you can place a printed design such as a monogram or favorite symbol or emoji behind the clear case and start sketching or placing the crystals along the pattern.

Sunglasses

Sunglasses are another popular item you can add rhinestones to. Because you wear sunglasses when it’s bright and sunny outside, any rhinestones you put on them will glimmer brilliantly in the light. You can cover the entire outer frame of your sunglasses in small rhinestones. Or, if your sunglasses have a prominent end piece, like most browline and cat-eye glasses do, you can also cover just that area.

Sports Balls

We don’t recommend using rhinestone sports balls for play, but they make excellent display pieces that highlight your favorite sport or team. You can adorn all kinds of sports balls with rhinestones, including baseballs, basketballs, footballs, volleyballs, and many more. We recommend using medium-sized 12ss to 20ss rhinestones to cover your sports ball of choice, however we do have customers who have used the smallest 5ss to 9ss crystals on sports balls in order to fully cover along the curve of the ball. 

Headphones

If you’re a music lover, you may want to bling out your headphones. Most retail headsets are plain-colored and drab. But music brings so much joy and color into your life, so shouldn’t your headphones be fun and vibrant, too? You can add rhinestones to the head band and ear cups of your headphones using a variety of stone sizes and colors.

AirPods Cases

On a similar note, you can use rhinestones on your AirPods case. For many, AirPods are considered a luxurious listening device thanks to their lofty price tag. If you’re lucky enough to have a pair, why not give them a matching upscale case? If you want to give your Airpods case a diamond-encrusted look, you’ll need to use tiny rhinestones and apply them carefully, one by one, with tweezers. You can also try a less expansive design with larger rhinestones. And, while this option requires extra time and precision, you can add an extra-personal touch to your case by using rhinestones to monogram it with your first name or initials.

Assorted Decor

You can also use rhinestones on all sorts of decor items as they work on a variety of materials, including fabric, paper, plastic, leather, wood, metal, glass, and rubber. Use rhinestones to beautify vases, candle holders, mirrors, picture frames, and more. Before long, your entire home will be a shimmery paradise steeped in glitz and glamour.

While these aren’t the only items you can dress up with rhinestones, they are some of the most popular. Whether you’re new to rhinestoning or a rhinestone pro, these projects are a fun and rewarding way to spend your free time. Pick your favorite craft ideas and give them a whirl!

No matter which items you plan to add rhinestones to, you can find all the crystals and tools you need for your next project at Rhinestones Unlimited. Our crystal rhinestones have the most intense, prismatic shine and gleam in a rainbow of colors. Shop our MAXIMA Crystals by Preciosa®, LUX European Crystal™, Starcut Crystals™, and Priceless Crystals™ rhinestones in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, and don’t forget to grab essentials like crystal glue, pick-up tools, and hotfix tools and tips.