It is no secret that bling clothing is very alluring. Not only can a little sparkle on an outfit attract people’s eye, but it also has a high perceived value.
Think of spirit wear. A “football mom” tank that is covered in sparkly bling is going to go for a higher retail value than just a printed design. But what if I told you, it doesn’t really cost any more to make?
For this reason, bling, like Spangles and Rhinestones are a popular choice for those who are looking to get into the customization business.
Cheer, dance, and spirit wear are just some of the big niches in the bling market. But bling business owners quickly realize people look for bling apparel for birthday, weddings and more too!
There isn’t much you need to get started, but before you go out looking for equipment and supplies read this article and watch the video below.
We are going to go through bling business essentials and some recommendations for additional accessories that can save you from future headaches.
But before we get into that, let’s go into more detail about the two different kinds of bling we will be talking about – Spangles & Rhinestones
Spangles
Spangles are flat holographic disks that get punched out in different sizes. Think of a sequin but without a hole. They have a strong adhesive backing and are heat applied to fabrics.
They are super soft with practically no hand feel. The most exciting part about Spangles is the bling. They are super shimmery even though they cost less than rhinestones.
Spangles have become popular for baby and kids clothing because they are flat, so they can’t dig into the skin upon impact.
Rhinestones
Rhinestones are crystals, that are flat on the back with an adhesive glue. They are raised on top on clothing and have a slightly rough texture.
However, they are very popular. Everyone knows what rhinestones are and they have a high perceived value.
You will usually see rhinestones on dance outfits and cheer uniforms, but they can be heavy. Many popular cheer and dance wear manufacturers have been turning to spangles.
Spangle or Rhinestone Transfer Machine
The first thing you will need to get your bling business started is a bling machine. Now that you understand the different types of bling, lets talk about the different machines that produce bling transfers.
Spangle Elite $
The Spangle Elite is a small, compact Spangle Transfer Machine. It is great for those who are just starting out for a few reasons:
- Desktop size
- Quiet operation
- Affordable
- Easy to Use
The Spangle Elite works by punching out holes from Spangle Tape Cartridges. Only one color and punch size can be on the machine at once.
However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t make a multi color and sized design. But it does mean that every time you want to change colors or punch sizes you have to do it manually.
ProSpangle $$
The ProSpangle is like the big sister of the Spangle Elite. It works the same way, by punching out holes from a Spangle tape, but it is bigger, faster and features automatic color changes.
This Spangle transfer machine has a bigger design field, meaning it can make larger designs, like big jacket backs.
It uses large Spangle Reels and their can be 6 colors and sizes of spangle reels on the machine at once. So there isn’t a need to manually size colors and punch sizes for elaborate designs.
While the ProSpangle is much larger than the Spangle Elite, it can still fit on a table.
CAMS 1V6P $$$
The CAMS 1V6P is an automatic rhinestone setting machine. Rhinestones are poured into little containers in the machine called hoppers. Then the machine uses a hydrologic system to pick out each rhinestone at a time and place it down on the transfer sheet.
Unlike, the Spangle Elite and the ProSpangle, the CAMS Machine is not desktop size. This machine sits directly on the floor and will take up a little bit of wall space.
Bling | Spangles or Rhinestones
Next you will need the bling itself!
As we briefly mentioned above Spangles come in tape cartridges or reels.
The Spangle Elite uses Tape Cartridges and the ProSpangle uses Spangle Reels.
The Spangle Elite Tape Cartridges are around $16 online. Here is a breakdown of how much you can get out of each cartridge:
- 2mm = 23,000 punches
- 3mm = 17,500 punches
- 4mm = 13,900 punches
Spangle Reels are around $14 online and here is a breakdown of how much you get out of each reel:
- 2mm punches / 35,600 per reel / cost $0.04 per gross
- 3mm punches / 27,000 per reel / cost $0.052 per gross
- 4mm punches / 21,500 per reel / cost $0.065 per gross
- 5mm punches / 17,200 per reel / cost $0.08 per gross
So while the Spangle Elite is more affordable upfront, the consumable prices are higher than the ProSpangle. This means you can make more in profits with the ProSpangle.
For a Rhinestone transfer machine like the CAMS, you will buy rhinestones by the pack, and they will be loose inside of the bag.
Rhinestone packs have a very wide price range. Pricing can be determined by color, size and quality of the rhinestone crystal. The SS06/SS10/SS12 packs of rhinestones on Colman and Company contain 720 pieces.
You may also need the following tools for a bling business:
1 – Transfer Sheets: these are sheets that have a slight tackiness to them. The bling transfer machines lay down spangles or rhinestones on top of them, upside down.
Transfer Sheets are a necessity for your bling business.
2 – Oil: you always want to make sure your machine is well oiled, so we recommend having an oiler to make things run smoothly.
3 – Glue Dots: Glue Dots are great for when you have a spangle machine. They allow you to easily save and store your spangle reels. But if you have the Spangle Elite you will need glue dots for when you change colors.
4 – Tweezers: Occasionally and bling transfer machine will set down a spangle or a rhinestone with the wrong side up. Having a pair of tweezers on hand will help you flip them back over.
Blank Apparel & Accessories
Next thing you need for a bling business is something to put your designs on!
When you are trying to make a good profit, access to wholesale blank brands and prices is important.
On our supply division website, we have made this very easy. Anyone can simply make an account and have access to tons of wholesale blanks and accessories.
We carry tons of popular brands like District, Next Level, and Bella+Canvas as well as shirts, pants, hats, towels and more.
Heat Press
You also need a heat press for a bling business. Like we mentioned earlier, spangles and rhinestone and even glitter vinyl are all heat applied materials.
However, both rhinestones and spangles don’t need much time under the press and pressure doesn’t need to be exact, so you can get away with a budget heat press for your business.
We highly recommend the Galaxy line of heat presses to start a vinyl business. They are dependable and budget friendly.
Galaxy 15 x 15 Heat Press
The Galaxy 15 x 15 Heat Press is the perfect mix between hobby and commercial grade and the platen size is perfect for t-shirt pressing.
Here some of our favorite features of the Galaxy Heat Press:
- Equipped with timer function (beeping alert)
- Press features over the center pressure adjustment (no pressure display)
- Digital control board for timer & temperature read out
- One-year full warranty on entire press
- Lifetime warranty on heating platen
- Solidly welded construction
- Non-stick, Teflon coated heating platen
Digitized Files
Last thing you need are special files types that your bling machine can read.
These are digitized files that are similar to embroidery. They tell your bling machine when to change colors, when to change punch sizes and where to lay down each piece of bling.
Different machines will accept different files, but all the machines from ColDesi come with software that helps you create and convert art.
You can also purchase already made designs from sites like Etsy or you can have a graphics team like ColDesi Graphics create them for you.
