Crystal AccentsCrystal Accents CA-100D Diamond White 1-Pound Jar

Works great! Instructions say to use distilled water for larger crystals. I made one batch with tap water and another batch with distilled water... didn’t notice a difference in clarity or size. Adding more water than instructed and leaving longer to absorb yields bigger crystals. One package makes A LOT!

These little water beads are so much fun. I love to grow wheatgrass in my kitchen just for a little green, and this makes it SO simple. There are enough beads here for gallons and gallons of plant growing, and the price is great.

Really great for fake flowers or cut flowers and after your done with a great look you can put the crystal in your garden. Mixed in your soil it will hold water longer.

They are beautiful. Absorb color well and reflect light just as well. However, these can't be used with fresh flowers. They never stop sucking up water. By the next day, the arrangements I'd made were dead. The vases had no water left and the crystals had swelled to nearly an inch diameter.

These water beads work nicely & are pretty.Basically, I filled a container with a half gallon of water (64 ounces), added a little over 1 Tablespoon of these beads & let sit about 4 hours. The beads swell up into pretty, squarish shapes of varying sizes. (They kind of look like chunks of ice.) Then pour the beads into a colander to drain off excess water. The beads are now ready to use. ( I used half gallon milk carton containers, gallon vinegar containers & 1/2 gallon grape juice containers to make over 20 quarts of beads. Be sure to thoroughly rinse these types of containers. Because of the wider opening, it was easier to shake the beads out of the juice containers) The label states for larger crystals, use distilled water. I used tap water.We used these in 16" tall cylinder vases, wrapped diagonally twice with ribbon, along with a long stemmed artificial flower & a spray...the results were beautiful.If you use artificial flowers, be sure to wrap all non-plastic stems in plastic wrap, foil or wax paper to prevent fading. Example: some of the stems I used were wrapped in floral tape. I was sure the color would fade so I sprayed any stem that I thought would fade with clear, glossy paint...I also sprayed the ends when I cut the stems to the length I needed. However, some of the stems still faded into the vase...later I read that I could've wrapped these stems in wax paper or plastic wrap. That would've been easier & probably fool proof. I suggest you experiment to decide which method will work best for you.I also filled small votives half full with the beads then inserted a tea light candle. Because these beads are different shapes, it was not easy getting the candle level in the votive.My biggest pet peeve about these beads is that they don't release water...yes, they release moisture...but not water. If you decide to use cut flowers with these beads, be sure to add water to the vase.Do not throw these beads down your drain; they will clog your drain. They can be crushed into itsy-bitsy pieces & are very slippery if they fall on the floor. I have never seen them dissolve. I even tried to dissolve them in the microwave for a minute or two, nothing happened. We threw ours into garbage bags. The label states they are non-toxic & environmentally safe.These beads can even be used for ice/heat packs. I didn't try this so I don't know how effective they are.I read somewhere that these beads can be dyed. I was going to experiment, but ran out of time. If you want to try this, add color to the water then put the beads in & let the beads sit 4 hours or until fully expanded. I suggest testing a small amount, then check to see if the beads are colorfast.We decorated several tables with these arrangements...everyone commented on how pretty they were.Buying this 16 ounce container was less expensive than purchasing several small pouches at my local hobby store. This container makes 16 gallons of beads.

great