Pearls

Cream hotfix pearls with a heat-activated backing, from 3MM through 10MM.

Pearls reflect rather than refract, so they hold a soft even sheen where a rhinestone throws a hard flash — the reason the two are so often set together on bridal and formal pieces. The hotfix backing is what makes a large field of them practical: a press sets a whole run at once and the bond holds through wear. Work up through the sizes rather than repeating one, so 3MM and 4MM follow a line while 8MM and 10MM anchor a focal point.

Coatings dull with abrasion, so keep pearls off high-friction areas like inner arms and seat seams. For surfaces a press cannot reach, use the non-hotfix pearls with a gem adhesive instead.