Are there different quality Rhinestones?
There are several "types" of rhinestones; the two main ones being Austrian and Czech. Generally, "Austrian" cut-crystal rhinestones are from Swarovski and are without doubt the finest stones available. Swarovski are the standard against which all other rhinestones are judged.
Czech machine cut rhinestones are close in quality to Austrian cut-crystal rhinestones, and are a little bit cheaper. But the quality is still noticeably less than Swarovski. The most popular (and probably the best quality) Czech stones are Preciosa; which have less facets (8 facets versus 12 or 14) than Swarovski rhinestones. Many Czech rhinestones are "machine pressed," or molded, into shape rather than cut. These are much lower quality stones and are only recommended for inexpensive craft projects and children's apparel.
Acrylic rhinestones (usually Czech or Asian) are made from molded plastic. Because acrylic does not transmit light like glass or lead crystal, they do NOT sparkle like the glass material.
A quick summary by quality is as follows:
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Best: Swarovski Austrian Cut-Crystal Rhinestones;
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Next: Czech and Asian Machine Cut-Crystal Rhinestones;
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Next: Machine Pressed (Molded) typically Korean Crystal Rhinestones;
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Next: China made Pressed Crystal Rhinestone(two cut,one cut,no cut)
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Worst: Acrylic Rhinestones (Molded Plastic).