Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

by Facepainting by Tina Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:27 pm

I just wanted to share this, since I see a lot of videos of people who are struggling to pick up gems, big, small, teeny....all of them.

I have fumbly hands to begin with, and I have a TON of really little gemstones that I absolutely LOVE to stick in the center of the little 2 toned, 5 petal flowers..and everyone always goes nuts. I buy thousands of these little gems in multiple colors for just a couple dollars so it literally costs me less than a penny to add even 10 to someone's face. In this business (like most businesses) time is $$$$$...so if I get the gems cheap but spend 10 minutes fumbling to get them on, they're no good.

While searching Oriental trading for some painting supplies (stencils, gems, hair tinsel for me to wear, etc) I came across a "jewel picker" well, after getting it and using it, I LOVE this thing...it makes it so quick and easy to poke in my gem container and pull out one teeny gem. The tip of it is slightly tacky, and when I press the gem on the adhesive it sticks with no problems! The adhesive (I use tulip) is stronger than the tack on the jewel picker so the gem pops right off with no trouble.

On a side note I was decorating a wedding cake the other day and had to add little tiny sugar pearls to the sides of the cake in a random dotted pattern, and decided to try the jewel picker on that as well! Brilliant!! Worked perfectly! I had to slightly push the sugar pearl into the cake icing and rotate the jewel picker in an upward motion to get it to let go...but it did let go. My days of sitting for hours and hours with a pair of tweezers, fumbling around with little sugar pearls, and getting blisters (YES BLISTERS) from holding the tweezers so long...are OVER!!!

Love this thing!! Thought I'd share, although I am sure most of the pros know about this handy tool, or probably have something more efficient already at work.

http://www.orientaltrading.com/marvy-jewel-picker-a2-65_80766.fltr

(oh no, says they're out of stock right now!!!)

by Jobena1 Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:29 pm

Darn I just placed a huge order of Gems....didn't see it and now they are out of stock Crying or Very sad

by Jobena1 Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:31 pm

OOOO 2.99 at Hobby Lobby....guess I am gonna have to make a trip to that awful store that always hurts my bank account.....hehehe....seriously how does one spend 3 bucks at Hobby Lobby???

by Facepainting by Tina Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:35 pm

lol, I know what you mean. I did a google search and it seems that they are for sale everywhere online for about $3, I wonder if Metina could get them in stock here?? I wouldn't mind owning a few of them!

by Jobena1 Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:38 pm

I just got one online from Hobby Lobby for 1.79 with coupon code...I know I had to pay for shipping but the nearest hobby lobby is about 36 miles away sooo I guess it will even out. Thanks for the Cool tool Tina.

by SaraM Wed Oct 24, 2012 12:59 pm

Cool tip! just curious, when you put your gems in the center of your flowers, do you use glue?

by Kammy Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:03 pm

Thank you! I'm SO fumbly and clumsy that I have real problems picking up and applying glue to those evil wee things!

I must look out for one of these magical stress-relieving instruments. Very Happy

by Facepainting by Tina Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:15 pm

SaraM wrote:Cool tip! just curious, when you put your gems in the center of your flowers, do you use glue?

I do, instead of dotting the flower with paint, I put a dot of glue...then apply glitter to the whole design (allowing time for the glue to go clear/tacky) and then I get out the gems and apply them. Here is an example I just painted with the little gems (these are clear, and are on the top, bottom, and flower next to my eye)

Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones! Eye_de10

Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones! Eye_de10

Edited: to say that Jobena, your avatar was my inspiration for painting this today! Smile

Love the purple/black/white combo with just a couple flowers. I don't have enough "teen" designs...so when I saw that I thought it would be a nice quick one to add...not nearly as neat and precise as yours though.

by Facepainting by Tina Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:17 pm

http://www.orientaltrading.com/mini-jewel-assortment-a2-48_1619-12-1.fltr?Ntt=gem

These are the tiny gems I have...when I have free time I sit with a pair of tweezers and separate the colors into a weekly pill container lol It makes it a lot quicker to get the color I'm after when on the job

by Miss Ronnie Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:20 pm

Jobena1 wrote:OOOO 2.99 at Hobby Lobby....guess I am gonna have to make a trip to that awful store that always hurts my bank account.....hehehe....seriously how does one spend 3 bucks at Hobby Lobby???

I can do it.... even though I love Hobby Lobby; my wallet has installed an alarm that goes off directly in my brain when I am in there.

by Facepainting by Tina Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:22 pm

lol, too bad I can't buy one of those alarms Miss Ronnie!! Michael's, A.C. Moore, etc (haven't actually gone into Hobby Lobby cuz I'm skeered!) kills my bank account everytime! All 3 of these stores are caddy cornered from eachother about 30 miles away from me. So when I make the trip, I tend to want to visit at least 2 of them...so far I have resisted Hobby Lobby (it just opened) but I don't know how long that will last?

by Miss Ronnie Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:27 pm

I had to switch from self-sticking gems to applying regular gems with adhesive. The self-sticking ones are stuck to everything in my kit now...

by Facepainting by Tina Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:39 pm

I never bothered with the self stick because I used them years ago for my daughter for a pageant and they didn't really stick to her skin very well and the small ones were a pain to peel the paper off of....so I figured they definitely wouldn't stick to painted skin. I buy my gems at oriental trading or the Dollar Tree, I have a huge beading case full of gems of different sizes/shapes/colors and have only paid a few dollars for the whole lot! I find it way quicker to do a dot of glue and pop on a non adhesive gemstone.

by leapinglizards Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:43 pm

I take a skewer, and dip the tip in some prosaide... once it dries it gets tacky and can be used in the same basic way. Toothpick works too.

by Jobena1 Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:48 pm

Aww thanks Tina...I do that swirly thing in pink...and this weekend I did it in orange and black with some webs...I know its not all that but I thought why not...I will be doing a Winter Festival for 5 weeks and I am gonna do one with Ice blue tones and Snowflake gems...also a Green Red and Gold for Christmas I think we all have a swirly like design....I probably paint this 30 times a day...and switch out the colors i Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones! Orange10

Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones! Orange10

f requested. have at it...

by Jobena1 Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:49 pm

i just can't remeber where I got those rhinestone spiders.....last Christmas at clearence sale.

by Jobena1 Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:59 pm

Ronnie that is sooooo Funny you crack me up....Tina Hobby Lobby is a dangerous place.....I never go alone I have to take my Mom or daughter with me or I will be there for days....especially when they have fall and christmas stuff....and I dont scrapbook but I have to look at all the paper..I can't tell you why..hehehe...I am an avid knitter so I have to touch all the yarn....Like I need yarn??? I can open a yarn shop with all the yarn I got!!! If you lived closer I would go woth you....better to go in pairs...safer that way...Like Hobby Lobby intervention!!

by Facepainting by Tina Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:01 pm

Hahaa.....I actually do worse when my mom goes with me, she tries to help me justify every purchase...I will say "well I already have one of these" and she'll say "yeah, but the fact that you love it means you'll probably run out soon, better safe than sorry...get a backup one" hahaha...we literally spent 6 1/2 hrs. in Michael's a couple weeks ago...I kid you not!!

by Facepainting by Tina Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:03 pm

Jobena1 wrote:Aww thanks Tina...I do that swirly thing in pink...and this weekend I did it in orange and black with some webs...I know its not all that but I thought why not...I will be doing a Winter Festival for 5 weeks and I am gonna do one with Ice blue tones and Snowflake gems...also a Green Red and Gold for Christmas I think we all have a swirly like design....I probably paint this 30 times a day...and switch out the colors if requested. have at it...

Oooooh...love the orange and black with the webs!! I love these swirly designs but haven't hit my comfort level with them yet (probably because that photo I just posted was the first one I ever painted lol)

I do lots of these types of designs with icing in the corners of sheetcakes to dress them up a little...just need to convert that to eye designs lol

by TinafromNY Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:17 pm

Thanks for the tip, Tina!!! I just LOVE the flowers with the gem centers in your pic, think I might offer such a design.
Jobena, love yours also, gorgeous!!! And what is that fabulous orange you used in your pic?
BTW, I find Hobby Lobby great but so expensive too and they won't take other stores coupons, like A.C. Moore and MIchaels will do. and if anyone thinks of buying the liquid "brush reshaper" for almost 8 bucks, DON'T!!! It says wash it off (after it dries) before using the brush again. Soon as I did, it went back to the original messed up shape, what a waste, I'm returnign it! I'm going to try hair gel instead and see what happens with that, since it's much stronger.

by Jobena1 Wed Oct 24, 2012 2:29 pm

I thinkk that was Kryolan Orange ..the only orange I use actually...I really should use more Kryolan colors...mmmm....I need Tina's Mom to help me justify more face paint purchase.....hehehe that is funny. And Tina from NY love those costumes!!

by CATZ Wed Oct 24, 2012 9:24 pm

I just put a blob of 'sticky tack' from the dollar store on the end of a mini glue stick and it works the same way. I can shape the 'sticky tack' to the point I need and away I go with gems. Smile

You need to replace the sticky tack every once in awhile when it gets all glittery but it's effective, inexpensive and not out of stock Smile

by Gretchen Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:15 pm

Awesome!! Thanks for the tip! I've seen little tweezers marketed for placing beads and gems, but this seems much less "medical" and without the fear of touching the skin with a metal object. I used to live about 5 minutes from a Hobby Lobby. The only thing that has been able to save my wallet is moving to where there aren't any! I suppose the shipping costs will still be much less than I would have blown on impulse buys if I went into a store though!

by raimcg Sun Apr 12, 2015 6:33 am

Facepainting by Tina wrote:lol, I know what you mean. I did a google search and it seems that they are for sale everywhere online for about $3, I wonder if Metina could get them in stock here?? I wouldn't mind owning a few of them!

by raimcg Sun Apr 12, 2015 6:34 am

Facepainting by Tina wrote:I just wanted to share this, since I see a lot of videos of people who are struggling to pick up gems, big, small, teeny....all of them.

I have fumbly hands to begin with, and I have a TON of really little gemstones that I absolutely LOVE to stick in the center of the little 2 toned, 5 petal flowers..and everyone always goes nuts. I buy thousands of these little gems in multiple colors for just a couple dollars so it literally costs me less than a penny to add even 10 to someone's face. In this business (like most businesses) time is $$$$$...so if I get the gems cheap but spend 10 minutes fumbling to get them on, they're no good.

While searching Oriental trading for some painting supplies (stencils, gems, hair tinsel for me to wear, etc) I came across a "jewel picker" well, after getting it and using it, I LOVE this thing...it makes it so quick and easy to poke in my gem container and pull out one teeny gem. The tip of it is slightly tacky, and when I press the gem on the adhesive it sticks with no problems! The adhesive (I use tulip) is stronger than the tack on the jewel picker so the gem pops right off with no trouble.

On a side note I was decorating a wedding cake the other day and had to add little tiny sugar pearls to the sides of the cake in a random dotted pattern, and decided to try the jewel picker on that as well! Brilliant!! Worked perfectly! I had to slightly push the sugar pearl into the cake icing and rotate the jewel picker in an upward motion to get it to let go...but it did let go. My days of sitting for hours and hours with a pair of tweezers, fumbling around with little sugar pearls, and getting blisters (YES BLISTERS) from holding the tweezers so long...are OVER!!!

Love this thing!! Thought I'd share, although I am sure most of the pros know about this handy tool, or probably have something more efficient already at work.

http://www.orientaltrading.com/marvy-jewel-picker-a2-65_80766.fltr

(oh no, says they're out of stock right now!!!)

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Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

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Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!

These are now available at Amazon. Hooray!

These are now available at Amazon!

Re: Easy way to pick up gems.....even the teeniest ones!