Nail Art

Nail gems are the quickest way to change a set. A few small flatback stones along the cuticle or the free edge read as a salon design, and because these are round crystal stones cut in the same workshop as our garment stones, they keep their sparkle under a top coat instead of going cloudy.

Everything in this category is flatback rhinestone with no glue on the back, sold by the pack. Pack sizes run from a few thousand pieces up to 14,400 per bag, and the size range starts at the small end used on nails and continues into the larger stones used on tips and raised shapes.

Choosing a size for nails
SS3 to SS6 — a scattered look, a single accent stone, or a line of stones along the cuticle. The 8-size face gem pack covers this end of the range in one bag.
SS8 to SS10 — full coverage and French tip lines, where the stones have to sit next to each other without gaps. The SS3–SS10 mixed kit is built for this.
SS12 and up — raised shapes and structure, usually one or two stones per nail. The mixed kit with tweezers and wax pencil gives you the sizes without buying four separate bags.

How they go on
Gel or acrylic — set the stone into the uncured product and cure over it. This is the most durable method, and it is why professional sets do not need glue.
Nail glue — a small dot is enough. A thick layer lifts at the edges and takes the stone with it.
Placement tools — pick stones up with a wax pencil or fine tweezers rather than fingers; skin oil is the main reason a stone will not sit flat.

For makeup and face gems
The same flatback stones work on the face, and the smaller sizes are the ones to use. Product-safe adhesive is the only thing to fix them with — never nail glue. The multi-size face gem packs and the single-colour flatbacks for nail art both work for this, since the backs are flat and sit flush against skin.

Making a set last
Cap the stone with a layer of top coat and wrap the tip. Keep cuticle oil away from the base of the stone until the adhesive has fully set. Do not soak a set with stones in a bowl of acetone to remove it — the stones come off first and go down the drain.

Two questions we get most
Will one bag be enough? A full set of accent nails takes around 40 to 60 stones at SS6. Mixed packs are the practical buy if you work on clients, because one bag covers accents, full coverage and structure.
Do they come in single colours? Yes. Alongside the mixed kits we stock single-colour bags, such as luminous light pink and aquamarine, so a colour can be repeated across a set without picking stones out of a mix.

The same stones are stocked as loose non-hotfix rhinestones for craft work, and the rhinestone size guide converts every SS size to millimetres if you are mixing nail sizes with garment sizes. Questions about which size suits a design? Email yanscrystal@hotmail.com with a photo of the set you have in mind.