Many of your favourite cosplays have gems, jewels and shiny bits, but this can become a headache if you don’t find the appropriate shape or the appropriate material for them. Of course, finding the right thing can be expensive, that is why I made this list to make gems and jewels for cosplay in a budget.
1. Gemstones
This could be a pretty accurate option, your characters are supposed to wear real gems after all. But gemstones are usually very limited in sizes and shapes. The good point is that they will naturally be the colour you are looking for but the con is tha they can be get expensive fast depending on the size. You can find them in bead shops or jewellery shops.
2. Glass cabochons
Cabochons are glass beads tha can be found on bead shops or even aquarium shops . You can find them in many sizes and shapes but the maximum size I have seen is 30x40mm. The difference with gemstones is that they are made of glass. You can find them coloured but it is easier and cheaper to get them clear and paint them. Also, very often you can find mounts for them.
To paint cabochons I recommend using nail polish, you can choose to paint the front or the back of the gem. If you decide to paint the back of the gem you can put metallic foil behind it to make it more reflective. You can even mix several colours. Also, you could use glass paint, it will last longer but it is more expensive.
3. Rhinestones
I think everyone uses this method. They are usually inexpensive and you can find them in many shapes and colours. They are not my first choice because in my opinion they are a bit irrealistic but they will save you in a pinch. Check my ultimate guide to rhinestones to know more
4. Styrofoam eggs and domes.
These you can usually found on paint shops or craft shops. You can cut them in half with an exacto knife or a hot wire cutting machine if you have one.
The problem with styrofoam is that the gem will be opaque, you will have to fake the reflection effect. I recommend using acrylic paints and varnish but white glue or Mod Podge can be as effective as varnish to get the shiny finish. Styrofoam has a big problem, some glues and paints can melt it! So never use nail polish on them! Also, remember to try your paints before applying them.
However, the pros is that they are very cheap and you can find fairly big ones. On the contrary, you will have problems with their lack of smoothness in some cases.
5 . Casting gems
This is the not so cheap option. If you want a perfect gem this is it. You can make your own moulds or buy the prefabricated ones. The material you will need is called polyester resin or clear casting epoxy. You can mix some special ink in the resin mixture or paint them as it was explained with the cabochons. The good thing is that you can make a lot and very big, but it is extremely messy and stinky.
6. Anything you can get
If none of the above works for you, what about a bit of imagination? For example, you could use kinder joy eggs as a mould or even paint them to get big oval gems. At Easter you also get lots of moulds for chocolate very cheap, you could fill them with clay. Icecubes moulds also work. And if your gem is huge, why don’t you consider dimensional adhesive? Another underrated tool is the gluegun, with a bit of practice you can get perfect gems.
It doesn’t matter how you do them as long as it works for your cosplay. And what about you? What is your craziest jewel or gem you have made for a cosplay? Let me know in the comments!
Different techniques 
Rhinestones 
Christmas baubles
