AB Rhinestones

A Quick Guide: What Are (Aurora Borealis) AB Rhinestones?

Have you ever had the opportunity to be up North to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights? If so, then you know the beautiful display they put on every night. Colors such as green, pink, red, yellow, blue, and violet dance in the night sky. Faux gem manufacturers model AB rhinestones after this spectacular natural phenomenon.

Who Invented the AB Rhinestones?

The AB rhinestone is the result of a partnership between designer Christian Dior and crystal manufacturer Swarovski in 1956. Dior designed jewelry pieces inspired by nature. He wanted a faux gem expressing the beauty of the Northern Lights with its brilliant, ever-changing display of colors. Certain atmospheric conditions predominantly produce shades of green, although you might also see blues, purples, yellows, pinks, and occasionally reds.

Bedazzling gem manufacturers try to recreate nature’s exhibition by applying a specialized coating on crystals. To put it simply, this bedazzling gem has a base color with an iridescent coating. The result is an ever-changing color rhinestone whose hues change with movement.

Why Use AB Crystals?

Typically, manufacturers vary with their AB coatings, producing a light or heavy layer.  When a bedazzling gem company uses a heavy AB coat, the base color becomes less prominent. On the other hand, a light layer allows more of the underlying hue to show.
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Additionally, the base coat also affects the AB appearance. For example, light colors reflect more of a rainbow while darker colors appear more metallic. Yet, all AB crystals pick up the underlying color of your project, changing their reflection based on your background. 
 

Crystal AB Rhinestone

Furthermore, the layer on AB gems increases the visibility of their facets, making them sparkle more brilliantly than standard colors. When you combine these color-changing crystals with standard colors, you create texture and dimension. 

                 Fuchsia AB Rhinestone                            Jet AB Rhinestone

Do All Faux Gem Manufacturers Produce AB Rhinestones?

No. Some generic brands focus only on standard rhinestone hues. However, most brand-name manufacturers do produce crystals with the mesmerizing AB effect. In fact, most large crystal-producing companies create a standard color with an accompanying AB hue.

Both of the brands we carry, Preciosa and PriceLess, manufacture beautiful AB bedazzling gems in a variety of colors. Incorporating standard colors with AB crystals produces depth and texture.

​Do you need crystal rhinestones for your bling project? Rhinestones Etc. has great prices with responsive customer service! Explore our extensive inventory of beautiful, bedazzling rhinestones today!