What is the difference between Sparse and Dense Rhinestone Chain?

Question:

What is the difference between Sparse and Dense Rhinestone Chain? What does the "Ss6" mean?

There are many sizes of Metal Rhinestone Chain. Rhinestones are sized by using the term "SS", or stone size, followed by a number to indicate size.  The Ss6-Ss12 sizing is a measurement of the size of the stone used in the chain. For standard earring sizes, Ss6 has a stone size of 2mm, Ss8 has a stone size of 2.4mm, Ss10 has a stone size of 2.8mm, and Ss12 has a stone size of 3.2mm. These stone sizes reflect how wide the chain will be.

The metal rhinestone chain is sold by the yard (36 inches) at Sundaylace Creations. However, the use of "Dense" and "Sparse" in the item description, is to indicate the density between the stone cups. Dense Stone refers to the proximity of the stones to each other, with little gaps between the stones. Sparse Stone refers to the stones being 1mm spacing away from each other. Dense stone is great when you are using the Metal Rhinestone Chain around a gem and desire a seamless look. The sparse stone, allows for some freedom in beadwork, as you can edge with beads or control the spacing for a perfect fit. 

The stones on the chain are produced by machine, and inevitably there are a few rhinestones that may fall off if the cup setting gets loose. This can be fixed by using a small amount of glue in the missing claw setting. I would recommend using a toothpick to gently place in the empty set. Remove from the metal rhinestone chain a stone from an unused end piece, to replace from missing stone and placing it in the missing setting. Then using your fingers to gently closing the cup claws to fit around the new stone. 

In Metal Rhinestone Chain, we also often get asked about what the term "AB" means. AB  is short for the words Aurora Borealis which is a sparkly rainbow coating on the crystal (commonly on clear stones but can come in colours rhinestone stones) can make the stones shine as the Aurora Borealis.