1. Buy at wholesale prices. Each stone is very small in size – the smallest stone might be just the size of a grain of rice. You probably can do rather little with such a small stone, so it’s likely that you simply are going to need a large quantity for any project. If so, you’re in luck. It is possible to generally order rhinestones at a much lower rate by buying wholesale. To qualify for wholesale discounts, you have to buy in large quantities. The minimum quantity necessary varies from merchant to merchant, so be certain to ask. The more you get in a single buy, the greater the discount. You could also mix and match diverse stones and sizes to boost the volume of your buy. This will help bring the cost down.

2. Buy Them On Sale.  The other way for you to save is to buy during promotional periods and sales. These might be new arrivals, old stock or featured items. Sometimes, merchants run regular promotions just to boost sales. You may take advantage of these opportunities to place larger orders so that you simply save a whole lot more money in the long term. Remember, rhinestones aren’t perishable and you’ll be able to store them away for later use, so do not be afraid to capitalize on good sales when they may be available.

3. Buy more common rhinestones.  Some stones are a lot more common than others in terms of color and design, so they tend to cost much less than other stone pieces. But this doesn’t mean that they’re of inferior quality, there’re less costly due to the fact they are more easily available. Rarer designs are normally more high-priced as they are harder to come by. Plus, there may possibly be limited pieces and buyers are willing to pay a higher price for these pieces.

First of all, you need to find a replacement button if you don’t have one of the original ones. Make sure to do a thorough search of your clothing before you buy anything new, as the replacement buttons are sometimes hidden in inner or outer pockets, in the lining, or near or under any tags.

Next you need to find or buy some cotton thread that’s the same color that was used for sewing all the other buttons. Don’t worry too much if you can’t find the exact color, just try to find something in a similar shade so that the difference won’t be easily noticeable. Once you have your thread, cut a piece about as long as your forearm, or a bit less than two feet, and thread it through the eye of a thin needle. Make sure the needle is thin enough to go through the holes in the buttons before you start. Now put the needle in the middle of the thread and tie a double knot in one end of the thread so that it will not pass through the fabric, and you’re ready to start sewing.

Put the button exactly in the place where you want it to sit on the piece of clothing. You might want to add something like a toothpick between the button and the clothing to allow a bit of space for moving. Now, starting from the under side of the clothing, use enough force to push the needle up through the clothing and through one of the button holes, and keep pulling until all the thread is through. Now loop the needle back around through one of the other button holes and push it down through the material and keep going until it’s all the way through, and repeat these steps until you have been through each hole at least three times. Then, you simply tie a knot in the end of the thread, cut off the slack and voila, your button is fixed!

First of all you need to find a button. If you’re lucky the piece of clothing came with a replacement button, and you’ve got it handy somewhere. If this is the case, good for you, but if not you’ll need to try to source a replacement button. Obviously you want to try and find a button that’s the same as the rest of the ones on your clothes, and to do this you’ll need to know the exact size, so get out a measuring tape and find out how big it is. Then, type a general description of the button into your favorite search engine or on EBay. Make it general but specific enough so that you’ll get reasonably close results, something like ‘small blue plastic buttons’ or ‘large brown metal buttons’ should provide a good starting point.

Now click through to some of the results and browse around the sites that you find, looking for the button that you need. It’s obviously a good idea to have the button or an example of it next to you when searching so that you can compare! Make sure that any button you’re interested in has a clear image so that you can really see if it’s exactly the same or not, otherwise you’re likely to end up with something that’s not exactly what you need.

Keep in mind though that there’s a good chance that you won’t be able to find the exact same button that you’re looking for, depending on how old and how popular the style was, and also how much patience you have to keep looking through more and more sites. Once you’ve decided that you can’t look any more, you need to try to find the next best match. The most important thing here is to get something that’s the same size, otherwise the button might not suit the button holes, and obviously also try to get something in a similar color and style. If you’re good at sewing you could even consider replacing all the buttons but that’s quite a project so only take that on if you have time and skills, or you can read this guide to how to sew on a button.

The first thing to understand is that some rhinestones are made of actual crystal, generally European from the area of the Rhine River, which is where Rhinestones got their names. Others are made of glass, while still more are made from plastic or acrylic substances. As you would expect, the most expensive ones are those made from crystals, which are genuine rhinestones. These are usually produced by well known brands in the rhinestone business such as Swarovski and can be bought in relatively small quantities.

Glass rhinestones are somewhat cheaper than crystal ones, because of the relative ease of making things from glass as opposed to crystals. Glass rhinestones are generally available in the full range of rhinestone colors, which covers over 60 different shades, and can also be bought in quantities ranging from singles through to hundreds.

Plastic and acrylic rhinestone buttons are the cheapest ones available, often by a significant amount, up to half or even less. However, bear in mind that they can often scratch or become dull or chafed quite easily, much more easily than glass or crystal, and so the chances of needing to replace them in the future are much higher. Still, the original savings are likely to make up for that if you are planning to use them on something that won’t be frequently worn.

Cheap rhinestone buttons are best used for something like a costume, which is a one-off design and won’t be needed again in the future, or at least if there is damage to the buttons it won’t be a big problem. They are also good for clothes that you don’t care for too much but would like to refresh a little bit, so that you probably won’t wear them too much. This reduces the chances of any damage to the stones. For any clothing that you like a lot and plan to wear regularly, it’s probably worth investing a little more in the more expensive rhinestone buttons.

Rhinestone zippers can be found today in a wide range of styles and sizes.  A standard rhinestone zipper will have a run of small rhinestones all the way down sides of the zipper, effectively covering the teeth of the zipper itself from a cosmetic perspective.  Often they will also have a small group of stones on the handle of the zipper to finish off the product.

Other, less common zippers may have the rhinestones arranged differently, such as having several larger stones spaced apart down the length of the zipper, several small groups of small rhinestones arranged into circle, spiral or other patterns going all the way down the zipper, or even having the stones arranged in a zigzag pattern.

Rhinestone zippers also come in a full range of background colors, so no matter what kind of project you’re working on you should be able to find a suitable zipper for your needs.  They are also generally available in all the regular sizes for zippers, usually starting at 3 or 4 inches and going all the way to 24 inches and more.  Finally, just lie most zippers, you can get them in either closed or separating varieties.  Closed varieties are for items like pants or maybe pockets, where you don’t want the items to completely separate when the zipper is opened, but just to create a small opening.  Separating varieties are for jackets, for example, where you do want the two sides to completely separate when the zipper is undone.

• Metal rimmed, tipped or centered:  These buttons have a silver or gold colored rim around the outside of the button, or part of the outside, or they can have a metal circle or other shape in the center.
• Embossed metal: Embossed metal buttons are made completely of metal and they have a design or pattern embossed into them, making them stand out very strongly.
• Mother of Pearl:  Real or simulated mother of pearl buttons are guaranteed to add shine and color to your creations while keeping a strong sense of class.
• Rhinestone Buttons:  Rhinestones buttons can be a single stone formed into a button, or a series of smaller stones arranged in a pattern or ring around the outside of the button.
• Shaped buttons:  Shaped buttons are, as the name suggests, buttons which are in the shape of a symbol or object, such as stars, fish, beetles and a lot more.  Just make sure they’re going to be practical and not too difficult to use before buying them.
• Ceramic or pottery buttons:  These are often handmade and unique, with individual designs and shapes, and can add a beautiful touch to your clothes.
• 3D buttons:  These buttons are not flat but a complete 3D shape, often a circle or oval.  They are very noticeable and can look great but again be sure that it won’t be too hard to open or close the buttons if needed.

This is just a taste of some of the kinds of fancy buttons which are available.  The range is almost endless and is truly limited only by your imagination, so think about what you’d really like to have as part of your clothes and chances are high that you’ll be able to find it.

Vintage rhinestone buttons are generally regarded as anything that was made in the 1970s or earlier.  Generally it’s difficult to put exact dates on buttons because there is no real record of when they were made, so most people take an educated guess based on the style of the button relative to the style of the period.  Be sure to try and ascertain from whoever is selling you the buttons how they know or why they think they’re from the period they are – because of the lack of paperwork or records around buttons, it’s easy to make buttons today in the style of years gone by and to try and sell them as vintage.

If you’re satisfied that you’re truly buying vintage rhinestone buttons, check the style and make sure it’s something you like.  You should also try to get as much information as you can about the condition of the buttons, such as whether there are any rhinestones missing, which is quite possible for buttons which are 40 years old or more, and if any of them are damaged or scratched.  Also check whether the backing is damaged at all, and be sure to ask what material they’re made of.  Also, if you’re planning to use the buttons for clothes, make sure you find out where the button holes are.

Also make sure you know the exact size of the buttons before you order them, so you’re not disappointed or surprised when they arrive.  Vintage buttons could be anywhere from quarter of an inch to an inch or more in diameter, so the difference is significant.

Determining pricing is very difficult and ultimately it depends mainly on how much you’re willing to pay for them.  Usually for small sets or collections of just a few buttons, you shouldn’t pay more than a few dollars unless there’s something very special about the buttons.  You will see some vintage rhinestone button sets going for a lot more than that, but that’s rare.  Do some shopping around to compare styles and prices and you’ll start to get a feel for what’s available and how much you’re willing to pay for each piece.

Rhinestone trims are available in lots of different sizes and styles, so it’s important to know what will best suit your needs.  If you’re making some clothes from scratch, this step is easier because you will either be following a set pattern which will call for a certain width and size of trim, or because you can adjust the clothing as required to suit the trim you buy.  Trim can be very thin, like a shoelace or even thinner, and goes through varying levels of width up to a thick belt style or width, at an inch wide or more.  What will be best for you will depend entirely upon the clothes you need them for.

If you want to make alterations and add a trim to an existing piece of clothing, it’s a little trickier because you’ll need to define the style and size you need without the help of a pattern.  Try to imaging what you want the clothes to look like with the trim and how it will look with different widths.  Often a thin, single line of rhinestones will provide a more subtle addition without taking away too much from the rest of the garment, while a thicker trim will become the main focal point.

Once you’ve decided on the size and style of the trim, you need to think about the pattern and placement of the rhinestones themselves within the trim.  With thinner trims, it’s quite common to simply have the rhinestones placed next to each other to create a chain, so that the trim looks like it’s made of rhinestones, although you can also get thin trims which have the rhinestones only placed at intervals.  Thicker trims usually provide more choice in this area simply because there’s more room to play with.  Again you can get thick trims that are simply covered with rhinestones, which creates a very vivid and eye catching look, but many thick trims will have the rhinestones in some kind of pattern, or maybe with two solid lines of stones at the top and bottom of the trim.

The final thing to consider is, of course, colors, both of the rhinestones and of the trim if you’re getting on that isn’t covered in solid stones.  Rhinestones come in almost any color you could want, so consider whether you want the colors to match or contrast with the clothes themselves.  If the trim under the rhinestones will be visible, make sure both colors match each other and the garment they’re going to be part of.

If you want to buy a new rhinestone buckle, first of all you need to think about what you want it to look like.  Size, for example, is one of the most important things you need to know before you start looking.  How long and wide should the buckle be, and what’s the maximum width that you clothes or shoes will allow?  You also need to think about the color you want, both for the rhinestones themselves and also for the casing of the buckle.

Then you need to think about the materials that the buckle and the rhinestones are made of.  Rhinestones come in plastic versions which are cheap but often wear down quickly, and if you want something that will last your best bet is to go with Czech rhinestones, which are made from crystal glass and will last a long time.  They also look great and have a shininess which plastic cannot quite imitate properly.

You also always have the option of having a rhinestone buckle custom made.  Although this is almost certain to be a little more expensive, if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for this could be a very good way to go, as you can decide on all the elements including size, style and colors.  If you want something truly special and unique, you can’t go past a custom made rhinestone buckle.

One thing to keep in mind too is whether to replace the buckle yourself or to have a professional do it.  Unless you’re very good at sewing it’s probably best to pay a little more to have someone replace the old buckle properly, so you know that the clothes or shoes will still be in good condition when you’re done.  It’s easy to make mistakes and if you don’t replace the buckle properly the whole item can become unusable