The smell of glue wafted through the air as Lyla Sherman, junior, pushed rhinestones into place on her claw hair clip.
“I didn’t want to be on my phone all the time, and I wanted to find something more interactive and in-depth to do,” Sherman said. “Bedazzling helped me be more creative and also helped me release stress.”
Bedazzling, the art of applying rhinestones to everyday items, originated in the late 1970s as The Bedazzler, a handheld device for attaching rhinestones and studs to clothing, became popular. It grew even more popular in the 2000s Y2K fashion era, often being associated with celebrities like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, according to Mental Floss.
Sherman began bedazzling this year as it started to become more popular on social media.
“I feel very accomplished because it takes a lot of time and effort, and I’d rather put the effort in than rot on my phone,” Sherman said.
Initially, Sherman bedazzled paintings she made, but after enjoying it more, she began to bedazzle claw hair clips and different makeup products.
Soon enough, Sherman’s friends began to notice her passion.
“People just started asking me, ‘Hey, can you make this for me?’ and I got so many requests that I just decided to make it into a business,” Sherman said.
Sherman’s business is called Lyla Bedazzles.
Sherman sells her paintings for $25 to $30, depending on the complexity of the design.
“I love that I only have to think about bedazzling while I bedazzle and not anything else,” Sherman said.
As a former cheer coach, Abbey Gradle, art teacher, used to bedazzle cheer bows and uniforms, and said bedazzling is an excellent way to show creativity.
“Bedazzling is doing something in postproduction, so you’re putting your own creative spin on something and making it uniquely yours,” Gradle said. “I think that’s a fun way to put your own personality and individuality out on something.”
Gradle said there are a few methods to bedazzling.
“You can add the glue to whatever you’re bedazzling, and then add the gems, or you could use a bedazzling machine, which heats up and sets these rhinestones in place,” Gradle said.
Nicholas Ranciglio, sophomore, said bedazzling helps him stay in touch with his creative side.
“I normally sketch, and I like shading, so bedazzling wasn’t really something I was used to,” Ranciglio said.
Ranciglio’s first time bedazzling was at an ornament decorating event hosted by the Library in December.
“I’m into art, so I liked working with glue and putting the rhinestones on the ornaments,” Ranciglio said. “I just really like the idea of working with something that’s already been made, and then adding more to it so that it jumps out at you and really helps you make the item more personal and memorable to yourself.”