Rhinestones refer to plastic or glass stones, made to resemble diamonds or other precious stones such as rubies, sapphires or emeralds. The very first rhinestones originated from the banks of the Rhine River in Austria, however those were rock crystals. Most rhinestones have flat backs, covered in bits of protective foil. For your own craft projects you may at some point need to remove the foil on the backs of rhinestones. Luckily, there is a quick and simple method for doing this without having to scrape or scratch the foil off.

  • Rhinestones refer to plastic or glass stones, made to resemble diamonds or other precious stones such as rubies, sapphires or emeralds.
  • Most rhinestones have flat backs, covered in bits of protective foil.

Pour 1 cup of apple cider vinegar into a plastic or glass basin or bowl. Add 1/4 cup kosher table salt. Stir vigorously with a spoon until they are well mixed.

Submerge your rhinestones into the mixture. Make sure that the mixture covers all of the rhinestones completely. Allow them to soak for three hours.

Rub the foil of each stone with your thumb after the three hours have elapsed. The foil will slide right off. Dab a cotton ball in some jewellery cleaner and wipe down any stones that might have a salty residue on them.

WARNING

Once the foil is off the rhinestones some of the stones might change colour. The foil sometimes makes the stones darker or gives them all of their colour.