Phone Bling’s the Thing
Guest Article by : Mike Stevens
In my 30+ years of being in the jewelry business I have seen several fads come and go. I must admit when I started to write this article I thought I would be writing about a new fad that would last for a little while and then fade away. But now I really don’t think this is the case. In my day to day writing about how to buy jewelry online I never thought I would be writing an article about cell phones and how they would relate to the jewelry industry. I quickly found out what anybody can have in common with movie stars, politicians, American Idol stars, musicians, pro athletes, and thousands of everyday people. The answer to that question is simply “phone bling”.
What is Cell Phone Bling?
Cell phone bling is simply attaching crystal jewels and ornaments to your cell phone to dress it up and express your individuality. This can be done in several ways. You can actually purchase pre-blinged faceplates that attach to your phone that dress it up, or you can design your own pattern and glue gemstones and charms directly onto the surface. I suggest doing it yourself because it is extremely easy and requires no special tools. And if you’re going for individuality doing it yourself is the only way to go. There is an endless amount of design possibilities that can be put onto the surface of your phone by using these handy little jewels. The jewels come in a rainbow full of colors. I must admit at first I thought the idea was kind of dumb. But then I started to see examples of amazing artwork. Artwork that included people’s faces, beautiful intricate designs, logos, and animals. I started to gain a lot of respect for the art of blinging out your phone.
Go For It!
So let’s talk about the jewels that are put onto the phone and how they are attached. There are several sizes to choose from ranging from 2.2 mm to 4 mm round crystals with flat bottoms. Remember the bottom must be flat because you are going to glue it to the flat surface of your phone. The 2.2 smaller crystals are used if you plan on doing an extremely intricate design. The larger ones are used for intricate designs and is a better choice for the beginner. The best crystals to use are Swarovski. Swarovski crystals will give you the best reflection of light which is what bling is all about. They may cost a little more than others but they are well worth the extra money. If you purchase the Swarovski crystals individually you will need anywhere from 400 to 1400 crystals. You can also purchase a kit of Swarovski crystals that includes everything you need to start blinging out your phone. Purchasing a kit is the suggested way to go for the beginner.
Blinging, How To:
To give you a good idea about the project you could be getting in to, I will go over a step-by-step process of blinging your phone. The first thing you want to do is outline your phone on a piece of paper. This will give you a good platform in which to draw your design. If you don’t like it you can always start over again. Don’t get too carried away if this is your first project; keep it simple.
- once you have your design, you can lay the crystals out on paper to make sure you will have enough before you get into the project. You will most likely need some extra crystals in case you mess up or you lose some during day to day wear.
- Next we will need to clean the cell phone. You can do this by gently using rubbing alcohol or Windex with a paper towel. Gently clean off all of the fingerprints and oils on the surface of the phone that will prevent the adhesive from sticking.
- Transfer your design from the paper onto the phone using a pencil. Once your design is drawn on the phone we can begin gluing the crystals in place.
- You will need to find a tacky glue that is designed to adhere these crystals to your phone. This can be found at craft stores or in the kit that you purchased to bling out your phone. You can hold the crystals with a pair of tweezers and apply the glue to the back of the Crystal using a toothpick.
- Start applying the crystals to the phone starting from the center and working out to the edges; this the best way to go. Keep in mind the operation of the phone while placing crystals. Don’t get too close to buttons and make sure hinges are not blocked by the crystals. Make sure you do one side at a time and allow several hours for the glue to dry. When one side is dry turn the phone over and do the other side.
Cell phone bling kits make excellent gifts for graduation, birthday, Mother’s day, Father’s Day or even as a great gift for yourself. Plus, I have even heard of them being given as bridal party gifts. It really is easy. You can check out phone bling kits at www.blingmeout.com/ and www.cellularoutfitter.com/.
About the Author
Mike Stevens is the Publisher of glitter-secrets.com and is the author of Jewelry Buying Secrets. He is a thirty year veteran of the jewelry industry and has worked for some of the largest jewelry corporations in the world. He currently enjoys keeping consumers up-to-date on the secrets to buying jewelry, not only in jewelry stores, but also on-line.
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