Swarovski crystal (and its imitators) are having a resurgence in fashion right now, in gem-embellished clothing and shoes, jewelry, fingernails, and even architectural elements.
But Swarovski…the real thing…is rather pricey. The cheapest I’ve found is around $3 to $6 for 144 pieces of 1 to 2mm ‘flatbacks’, the glass gems most easily fastened onto surfaces like fabric and leather. Amazon sells some versions for $10.00 for 1500 pieces.
I’ve used crystal embellishments in book arts and wearable art pieces, most recently in these pink lace sneakers. I didn’t pay full price for the shoes, glue, or gems.
I live in a poorer area of a wealthy suburb, so I benefit from the closet turnover and craft obsessions of other people. I’ll admit, part of it is the thrill of the hunt.
My local thrift stores seem to carry a lot of crystal-embellished shoes and clothing, most of it in the heat-fixed variety. The registered tradename for this stuff is HotFix (TM), but there are many imitators. It’s basically a black adhesive dot affixed to the flat back of the crystal, which when heated up by a special applicator wand, ‘welds’ the crystal to its support surface. The bonds can be startlingly strong if done correctly.
Here are some newer finds that haven’t been stripped of crystals yet: De Blossom Collection ‘Robin’ with square AB crystals, and Betsy Jefferson ‘Wish’ with AB crystal mix. Looking at retail value, these ran between $45 and $95 new. I paid $8 for both pairs.
The bonds look weak on the De Blossom: the design was doomed from the start because the HotFix didn’t completely adhere to the silver knit base fabric. The Betsy Jefferson shoes have a strong bond. Both are missing a few crystals, and were probably donated for that reason.
But what, besides heat, can take the crystals off again?
Turns out, our good craft-aid isopropyl alcohol can!
In the last few months, for a total of $8, I bought 3 other pairs of crystal-covered thrift store shoes: two sandals and one pair of pumps, all of the Candies’s brand sold at one point through Kohl’s Department Store. Original value was around $100 for all three pairs. All made up a mix of faceted flatback iridescent Aurora Borealis crystals of 1mm, 2mm, 3mm, and 4mm wide.
Bear in mind, these shoes could have been worn. But they were lightly scuffed, and one of the pumps had a dangerously loose heel. They were purchased as craft supplies. I might rework and resell the one pair of sandals that is still really wearable.
For the sandals, I stuffed them inside a larger zipper-closed plastic bag and sprayed 91% alcohol inside, then let them absorb the alcohol for several hours.
For the gold silk pumps, I stripped off the outer layer of fabric with a sharp craft knife, then put the fabric in another plastic bag with a few spritzes of alcohol. Again, the gems took a few hours of exposure to the fumes.
I set a vent system running to protect me from the fumes, wore nitrile gloves, and pulled out one sandal. The flatback crystals peeled off easily, in most cases leaving the black adhesive behind.
That yielded around 1500 to 2000 small crystals, waiting for my own projects.
I’m currently working on removing crystals from the De Blossom and Betsy Jefferson shoes. Three hours inside an alcohol-spritzed bag was enough to loosen the De Blossom adhesive enough that the crystals came off at the flick of a fingernail.
Good warning: if you wear these kinds of shoes, do not spill strong liquor on them!
But if you want to try working with tiny flatback crystals, consider harvesting some of your own from already embellished items.