How to Use a Bedazzler Kit: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Load the plunger with a stud, set the fabric right-side up over the plate, and press down hard — the prongs bend underneath and lock the stone in place.

Skip a step and the prongs fan outward, the rhinestone pops off, and the fabric carries a hole where a gem should sit. That failure almost always comes down to two things: the plunger wasn’t centered over the setter, or the fabric was loaded on the wrong side.

A bedazzler kit is a manual press tool that pushes two-part studs and rhinestones through fabric so the prongs bend and grip from the back. No heat, no glue, no batteries. This guide covers loading the tool, setting studs and two-part rhinestones, matching plunger sizes, and the mistakes that send stones flying.

What Comes in a Typical Bedazzler Kit

A complete kit is built around one press arm and interchangeable parts for different stone sizes.

• Setter plate — the base the fabric rests against while the plunger presses down.
• Interchangeable plungers — the colored tips in the arm; each sized for a specific stone diameter.
• Stud stuffer — a small loading tool that seats the stud into the plunger so your fingers stay clear.
• Rhinestones and studs — the two-part stones or pronged studs you’re setting.

Kits vary wildly. One “Bedazzler Kit with Rhinestones” listing states no instructions are included, so read the product page. For comparisons, see our breakdown of the best bedazzler kits for beginners.

Setting a Stud: The Basic Press

1. Swap in the plunger and setter plate matching your rhinestone size.
2. Set a stud into the plunger with the prongs facing outward — the stud stuffer makes this easier.
3. Lay the fabric right-side up over the setter plate and line up your design.
4. Press the arm down firmly. The prongs bend and clamp the stone to the fabric.

Two-Part Rhinestones Work From the Wrong Side

Two-part rhinestones flip the process: you set them from the wrong side of the fabric using the “R” round setter, with the stone flat-side up in the setter and the back go going into the plunger like a stud.

RhinestoneBiz’s bedazzler-and-Tiffany-set instructions walk through the sequence: place the rhinestone flat-side up in the round setter, drop the back go into the plunger, then press until the points bend around the stone. Swapping fabric orientation between studs and two-part stones is the step beginners skip — and the fastest way to ruin a piece. Studs go right-side up; two-part rhinestones go wrong-side up.

Size matching matters too: a 5 mm stone uses a #20 plunger, 6 mm and 6.5 mm use #30, 7 mm uses #34, and 8 mm takes a #34 or #40.

The rhinestone setter handles most #20 and #34 rhinestones, but 40ss Tiffany settings will not fit in the BeDazzler plunger. Adafruit’s bedazzler design notes confirm the same limitation.

Fixing the Two Most Common Mistakes

Prongs bending outward instead of inward. The plunger isn’t centered over the round setter. Realign it and press again.

Stone sitting loose or falling through. Check which side of the fabric is up. Studs need the right side facing you; two-part rhinestones need the wrong side facing you.

A hotfix applicator is a different tool: it only works on hotfix rhinestones with adhesive on the bottom, can’t pick up a standard rhinestone, and gets very hot. Don’t touch hot tips or stones, and never screw or unscrew tips while hot. A safety data sheet tied to one “Bedazzled” product adds: avoid eye contact, wear protective clothing where exposure risk exists, keep containers closed, and store away from heat or ignition in a cool, dry, well-ventilated spot.