The best bedazzling kits and rhinestone kits for your project

Bedazzler kit or bedazzler set? The three kinds sold under the name

Search for a bedazzler kit and you get three unrelated tools under one name:

Almost everything in Amazon’s bedazzling bestsellers is the first type. That is fine if you are decorating a hard object. It is the wrong kit for a T-shirt, where a hotfix kit will outlast glued stones through the wash. There is more on the difference in Hotfix vs glue-on rhinestones, and on where the name came from in What is a bedazzler?.

Jelly rhinestone kits: good value, with one catch

These tubs hold tens of thousands of 3 mm resin stones (the same size as SS12 on the size chart) in 30 to 60 colors, usually with a tube or three of B7000 glue, tweezers, a tray and wax pick-up pens. The “jelly” finish is a translucent, candy-like color rather than the mirror sparkle of glass.

What a kit is good for:

• Covering a hard object edge to edge (phone cases, book covers, keyboards, frames).
• Mixed-color and rainbow designs.
• Trying bedazzling for the price of a few coffees.

The catch is the included glue. B7000 is a cheap, runny, solvent-based adhesive made by several unbranded factories, and experienced rhinestoners report it yellowing and letting go over time. It is not made for anything that touches your mouth. For tumblers and bottles, read how to bedazzle a tumbler before you start; for everything else, the glue guide explains what to use instead.

Hotfix applicator kits: the right tool for clothes

A hotfix applicator is a pen-shaped heater with a set of tips (usually seven) sized for different stones. The stones are glass, with a layer of heat-activated glue on the back. You pick a stone up in the tip, wait a few seconds for the glue to melt, and press it onto the fabric.

Because the glue soaks into the weave and sets as it cools, hotfix stones handle gentle washing far better than glued stones. Look for a kit that includes a stand, several tips, and glass stones in at least two sizes (SS10 and SS16 or SS20 cover most jobs). Cordless wands exist but cost more.

A wand is slow for large designs: one stone at a time. For a full shirt design, the faster route is a rhinestone transfer and a heat press, covered in How to use a hotfix applicator. Our comparison of wands is in Hotfix kits: choosing a hotfix bedazzler.

Glass rhinestones plus your own glue: the most sparkle

Foil-backed glass reflects far more light than resin, which is why dance costumes, heels and bridal work use it. Glass flatbacks are sold loose by size and color rather than as a kit, so you assemble your own: stones, a pick-up tool, and the right adhesive for the surface (Gem-Tac for fabric and porous materials, an E6000-type adhesive for shoes and hard surfaces).

Glass is heavier, costs more per stone, and is fiddlier at small sizes, so it is rarely the best first project. See Resin vs glass rhinestones for when the extra sparkle is worth it.

What to check before you buy

• Stone size. 3 mm (SS12) is the all-rounder. Mixed-size sets look busy on small objects.
• Flatback, not pointed back. Pointed-back stones need settings.
• Hotfix or not. Hotfix stones have a grey or matte glue layer on the back. They can be glued too, but non-hotfix stones can never be heat-set.
• What glue is in the box, and whether it suits your surface.
• Pick-up tools. A wax pencil and a ridged tray (which flips stones face-up when you shake it) save hours.
• Storage. Tubs that open all at once spill. A grid box is worth it.

Bedazzling kits, rhinestone kits and hotfix kits: the names decoded

Bedazzling kits and rhinestone kits are usually the same product: loose flatback rhinestones with glue, tweezers and a wax pick-up pen. Hotfix kits are different — a heated applicator with glass stones that carry their own glue — and are the ones to buy for clothes (Hotfix kits: choosing a hotfix bedazzler). Bejeweling kits and bedazzle sets are further names for the first type.

Bedazzler kits on Amazon: what the bestsellers are

Most bedazzler kits on Amazon are jelly rhinestone tubs: tens of thousands of 3 mm resin stones in 30–60 colors, a tube of glue, tweezers, a tray and wax pick-up pens. They are good value for hard objects and mixed-color designs. Hotfix applicator kits are the next most common, and are the ones to choose for clothes. Every link opens Amazon in your country.

Which kit for which project

Not sure? The project finder asks what you are decorating and gives the method, glue and stones.