They are faceted gems... got some at the craft store, in the before time, the long long ago
That's too bad.I thought you would be able to change them since you didn't paint yet.It's going to be cool seeing your painting process.
To take care of the "dusty" effect I like to use tack cloth to give a wipe between coats. Its also usually the case that you're a bit to far away when spraying. so the paint is drying before/as it hits the surface... try decantign the primer into an airbrush and you'll likely have better results since you can control the flow easier - Just a thought (or 2).
Jedi Dade