DIY- Color My Rhinestone World

For this DIY I was inspired by the awesome blog tutorial from the glamourai where she showed how she "antiqued" the rhinestones on a new f21 necklace using Sharpie markers.  I loved how the color from the sharpies gave a more sophisticated color and depth like is found on real vintage estate jewelry to the new clear bling-y stones and couldn't wait to try it myself.  I decided to try using Alcohol Inks to color the stones instead of the Sharpie markers for a similar look with a wider range of colors and it worked beautifully.    Alcohol Inks are found in the stamping and scrapbook section of craft supply stores under the name of Tim Holtz Ranger Brand Adirondack Alcohol Inks. They usually come in a three pack set of colors for a retail price of $9.99 or a single color for $3.50, not bad! They are a permanent , fast drying & transparent ink that you can use on many different surfaces including glass (or in this case rhinestones).  For this project you'll need: -Rhinestone Jewelry Piece (I got mine at Forever 21) -Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Inks (I used the ink colors: cranberry, lettuce, eggplant that comes in the Farmer's Market Set and ginger that comes in the Cabin Cupboard Set) -Rubbing Alcohol (use this to lighten or remove the ink color from stones in case of mistakes) -Q-tips (to apply the alcohol ink to stones) -Rubber Gloves (recommended to protect hands from ink stains) It's really easy to just rub or dab on the ink colors where you want them on the stones using Q-tips. The inks go on sheer so the stones still sparkle through the color and the color is build-able to darker by dabbing on more layers of coats.  If you want to lighten the color in any areas you can lightly dab the area with a q-tip dipped in plain old rubbing alcohol until it gets to be the desired shade.  With this necklace I was going for the soft pastel colors that were popular in rhinestone jewelry of the '40s and '50s, like seen in this brooch from vintage rhinestone jewelry seller Jewel Pigs or this brooch also from vintage seller Jewel Pigs Oooooh, or this pretty pink and green vintage necklace from Garden Party Collection Here are the finished results after applying the alcohol inks. I purchased the Rhinestone Necklace used in this tutorial recently at my local Forever 21 store for $19.80. I can't find this particular necklace currently online, but any of the following rhinestone jewelry pieces would work great with this technique!   1. Eloquently Rhinestone Bib Necklace: $17.80: Forever 21   2. Flower Bib Necklace: $12.80: Forever 21   3. Rhinestone Orchid Bib Necklace: $29.00: Arden B.   4. Large Vintage Crystal Ring: $20.00: Lori's Shoes   5. Statement Flower Necklace: $12.00: Wet Seal   6. Stretch Clear Oval Rhinestone Ring: $28: Guess   7. Gardenia Flower Ring: $6.80: Forever 21   8. Cut Out Shield Bling Ring: $10.00: Wet Seal   9. Rhinestone Floral Ring: $7.00: Wet Seal 10. Vintage Shield Ring: $9.00: Wet Seal The Alcohol Ink Sets I used in this tutorial are available below at MisterArt.com *on sale* for $7.60 (Orig. $9.99). If you try this technique I would love to see photos of your results shared in the comments section!! Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink Sets farmer's market Adirondack Alcohol Inks are permanent, fast drying, transparent, acid free dye inks specially formulated to create a vibrant, polished stone look. They're ideal for use on glossy paper, dominoes, metal, foil, shrink plastic, glass, and other slick surfaces. They're also great for airbrushing Adirondack Alcohol Inks come in eight separate sets, each with three different colors (.5 fl. oz. bottles): Farmer's Market set contains the colors cranberry, lettuce, and eggplant. Mountain Vineyard set contains the colors espresso, raisin, and pesto. Nature Walk set contains the colors wild plum, butterscotch, and stream. Rustic Lodge set contains the colors bottle, terra cotta, and denim. Cabin Cupboard set contains the colors caramel, ginger, and latte. Tuscan Garden set contains the colors red pepper, mushroom, and oregano. Miner's Lantern set contains the colors rust, stonewashed, and pitch black. Cottage Path set contains the colors slate, currant, and meadow.

Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink Sets cabin cupboard Adirondack Alcohol Inks are permanent, fast drying, transparent, acid free dye inks specially formulated to create a vibrant, polished stone look. They're ideal for use on glossy paper, dominoes, metal, foil, shrink plastic, glass, and other slick surfaces. They're also great for airbrushing Adirondack Alcohol Inks come in eight separate sets, each with three different colors (.5 fl. oz. bottles): Farmer's Market set contains the colors cranberry, lettuce, and eggplant. Mountain Vineyard set contains the colors espresso, raisin, and pesto. Nature Walk set contains the colors wild plum, butterscotch, and stream. Rustic Lodge set contains the colors bottle, terra cotta, and denim. Cabin Cupboard set contains the colors caramel, ginger, and latte. Tuscan Garden set contains the colors red pepper, mushroom, and oregano. Miner's Lantern set contains the colors rust, stonewashed, and pitch black. Cottage Path set contains the colors slate, currant, and meadow.