Gems and Pearls

Gems can be purchased loose in boxes or tubes or attached with glue dots in packets. Generally the colors range in the Primary spectrum of red, green, blue, yellow, orange, purple, and clear. There are some pastel colors and a few neutral colors.

Some gems have a mirror like back to them while others are clear colored "glass". Attaching these gems to your project is your preference. Some use hot glue, while others prefer liquid glue. I use the glue dots for most of these items. The teeny tiny gems I do use liquid glue on since minuscule glue dots are not available for purchase. Yet.

Pearls, otherwise knows as "Half Backed Pearls" come in loose packages and tubes, or attached with glue dots in packets. The colors of pearls are mostly in the white and creme families. There are some pinks out there. Once in a while you will come across the "Mother of Pearl" variety with the mixture of creme and pink marbled.

Attachment is the same as with the gems, noted above. Hot glue, liquid glue, or glue dots.

The sizes of the half backed pearls range from quite large to very small, as with the gems.

All of these items are available at your local craft/hobby store or online craft stores. How you use them is up to you and your projects. These items are for "Show". The light reflection of the gems and pearls are accents on your greeting cards or scrapbook layouts.

These embellishments work very well with both masculine and feminine projects. You would keep the number of "Bling" items to a minimum when using them on masculine projects. You can let go of the restraint when you do feminine projects.

If you watch a lot of YouTube videos you will find nearly everyone uses these gems or half back pearls on almost everything! Some in small quantities with one (1) or three (3) on a project while other projects will be liberally sprinkled with various sizes. The use of this type of embellishment is, largely, up to you and your tastes. There is no right or wrong way to use these.