CZ's - anything I need to know?

[amyhoust]

I've got some cool ideas for cubic zirconia (sp?) embedding. I bought some teensy little ones (I think they're like 1.5 mm and 2 mm or something) and am anxious to try them out, but is there anything I need to know first? Any techniques or just general tips/advice? Do I just heat up a spot and press it in with a pair of tweezers? Anneal the bead normally?

[Karen Hardy]

Yeah, don't try and stick them on a molten bead with your fingers 8-[ .

I take some 1/16 mandrels (clean) put a tiny dab of glue on the tip and
glue the CZs onto the top (pointy side up). Let dry and keep them handy.
When I'm ready to apply them, I just spot heat the bead and poke the CZ into
place. The glue burns up instantly and leaves no residue. Perfection.
Then I usually encase them with a drop of clear. Piece of cake.

[amyhoust]

Yeah, don't try and stick them on a molten bead with your fingers 8-[ .

I take some 1/16 mandrels (clean) put a tiny dab of glue on the tip and
glue the CZs onto the top (pointy side up). Let dry and keep them handy.
When I'm ready to apply them, I just spot heat the bead and poke the CZ into
place. The glue burns up instantly and leaves no residue. Perfection.
Then I usually encase them with a drop of clear. Piece of cake.

I didn't think of encasing them. Is this the usual way? Do I have to do it? Will I want to?

[Karen Hardy]

It's not necessary to encase them. I do because I like the all-over
smooth bead feeling. Plus, I'm always worried that they will pop-out,
although none has done so (yet). Of course, I check under the
bed for wild animals and monsters before I hit the sack too :wink:.

[SuzyQ]

I don't encase because I like the puckered look of the glass nestling around the cz. But it really depends on what look you are after.

You may run into compatablity with some glasses. I use cz's all the time for florals and have found using effetre light pink under a transparant as a petal and cz's give me surface cracking on the petals. Could be a number of reasons but I've made the mistake 3 times now, lol.

Also aqua cz's turn citrine yellow in the kiln.

They are pretty resiliant to heat so don't worry about burning them up. If you all of sudden can't see it on your bead it probably fell off. Those 1.5mm suckers are tiny!

[xtine sutter]

I use the teesey weensey dab of glue on the top of a mandrel method. I've tried both elmer's style glue (i have a generic school glue) and the bullseye fusing glue. The elmer's works better at holding the CZ to the tip and guiding/pressing it in. Seems to burn off great. The bullseye glue works well too, but i found that it burns off fast and sometimes the CZ slips a little when I'm pressing it in. (and it takes longer to dry) SO I mixed the two glues and tried that, and it worked about the same as just straight elmers. Just be sure the glue is dry, because a few times when i started out, i ended up with bubbles around which totally ruined the effect. :( Have fun!!!
Oh and it also helps if your mandrel tips are relatively flat. I have never added glass to encase, I like the pucker too, but I have coaxed the (crystal clear) glass over the CZ by melting it and pushing it over with, well, whatever tool I happen to grab at the time! then it just looks like it is floating. Weeeee!