Swarovski Crystal
Swarovski have been producing the highest quality lead glass crystal for over 100 years. The crystals contain a minimum of 30% lead which gives them their inner sparkle, and are machine-faceted with tremendous precision by a machine that Daniel Swarovski developed and patented in 1892. As the lead is contained within the glass, it poses no toxic threat to anyone wearing Swarovski crystal beads or jewellery.
The Swarovski Company was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski in collaboration with Armand Kossman and Franz Weis, and was originally known as A. Kossman, Daniel Swarovski and Co. (later shortened to K.S. & Co.). A crystal cutting factory was established in Wattens, Austria to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding process, and also for the seclusion the area provided, preventing people from stealing the Swarovski trade secrets.
By 1913 the Swarovski Company had built their own production plant and crystals were being produced exclusively for the fashion industry to be sewn onto evening gowns and jackets. The 1920's saw the "flapper" fashion trend take hold and this brought about another patent for Daniel Swarovski: a ribbon of fabric studded with crystals, ready to be sewn onto any garment.
The next major development in Swarovski crystals was the invention of the Aurora Borealis (AB) finish, a micro-thin layer of metal that when applied to one side of the bead, gives the bead a rainbow sparkle, reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) in the Northern Hemisphere. Manfred Swarovski, Daniel’s grandson, collaborated with Christian Dior to perfect this process.
After spending the war developing products for use by the automotive industry or lenses for telescopes, Swarovski returned to producing crystals for jewellery, fashion or home décor. The renewed popularity in Swarovski crystals made them the perfect choice for chandeliers, many of which ended up in museums and castles owned by the wealthy.
In 1977, a new material called Cubic Zirconia was created. Cubic Zirconia is a synthetic, laboratory made stone that closely resembles a diamond in both brilliance and sparkle. The Swarovski Company was among the first to utilise this new stone in their products, and the introduction of Cubic Zirconia into the market place allowed just about anyone to own their own "diamond".
Swarovski celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1995 by opening an exhibition centre that features a history of crystal and the Swarovski Company. Called "Swarovski Kristallwelten" (meaning Swarovski Crystal World), it is also filled with magnificent Swarovski creations, including designs from many celebrated artists and has attracted over 7 million visitors so far.
A new product website called crystallized.com was launched in 2007 to provide information to designers and manufacturers in the fashion and jewellery industry. Crystallized™ - Swarovski Elements is the newest product for Swarovski, which includes Swarovski beads, and products with this branding are guaranteed to be original Swarovski crystals.
Swarovski crystal beads and pendants come in many shapes, sizes, colours and finishes. One of the most popular shapes is the bicone, which comes in sizes ranging from 2.5mm to 10mm, but the beads also come in shapes such as cube and round. There are many shapes that are exclusive to Swarovski crystal available too, such as helix, polygon, simplicity and avante garde. The bulk of these Swarovski crystal shapes are copyrighted to the Swarovski Company, and will only be found in authorised Swarovski resellers. New Swarovski crystal colours and shapes are released for each season, constantly adding to their already huge inventory of beads.
There is also a range of Swarovski crystal pearls that come in sizes from 3mm to 12mm, and can be round, pear shaped or "wave" shaped (flatter than a normal Swarovski crystal pearl and with a slight twist). Swarovski crystal pearls have a crystal core and the coating is built up around the core layer by layer making the pearls fade, scratch, and chemical resistant, meaning the pearls won’t discolour when they come into contact with make-up or perfume.
Swarovski have been producing the highest quality lead glass crystal for over 100 years. The crystals contain a minimum of 30% lead which gives them their inner sparkle, and are machine-faceted with tremendous precision by a machine that Daniel Swarovski developed and patented in 1892. As the lead is contained within the glass, it poses no toxic threat to anyone wearing Swarovski crystal beads or jewellery.
The Swarovski Company was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski in collaboration with Armand Kossman and Franz Weis, and was originally known as A. Kossman, Daniel Swarovski and Co. (later shortened to K.S. & Co.). A crystal cutting factory was established in Wattens, Austria to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding process, and also for the seclusion the area provided, preventing people from stealing the Swarovski trade secrets.
By 1913 the Swarovski Company had built their own production plant and crystals were being produced exclusively for the fashion industry to be sewn onto evening gowns and jackets. The 1920's saw the "flapper" fashion trend take hold and this brought about another patent for Daniel Swarovski: a ribbon of fabric studded with crystals, ready to be sewn onto any garment.
The next major development in Swarovski crystals was the invention of the Aurora Borealis (AB) finish, a micro-thin layer of metal that when applied to one side of the bead, gives the bead a rainbow sparkle, reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) in the Northern Hemisphere. Manfred Swarovski, Daniel’s grandson, collaborated with Christian Dior to perfect this process.
After spending the war developing products for use by the automotive industry or lenses for telescopes, Swarovski returned to producing crystals for jewellery, fashion or home décor. The renewed popularity in Swarovski crystals made them the perfect choice for chandeliers, many of which ended up in museums and castles owned by the wealthy.
In 1977, a new material called Cubic Zirconia was created. Cubic Zirconia is a synthetic, laboratory made stone that closely resembles a diamond in both brilliance and sparkle. The Swarovski Company was among the first to utilise this new stone in their products, and the introduction of Cubic Zirconia into the market place allowed just about anyone to own their own "diamond".
Swarovski celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1995 by opening an exhibition centre that features a history of crystal and the Swarovski Company. Called "Swarovski Kristallwelten" (meaning Swarovski Crystal World), it is also filled with magnificent Swarovski creations, including designs from many celebrated artists and has attracted over 7 million visitors so far.
A new product website called crystallized.com was launched in 2007 to provide information to designers and manufacturers in the fashion and jewellery industry. Crystallized™ - Swarovski Elements is the newest product for Swarovski, which includes Swarovski beads, and products with this branding are guaranteed to be original Swarovski crystals.
Swarovski crystal beads and pendants come in many shapes, sizes, colours and finishes. One of the most popular shapes is the bicone, which comes in sizes ranging from 2.5mm to 10mm, but the beads also come in shapes such as cube and round. There are many shapes that are exclusive to Swarovski crystal available too, such as helix, polygon, simplicity and avante garde. The bulk of these Swarovski crystal shapes are copyrighted to the Swarovski Company, and will only be found in authorised Swarovski resellers. New Swarovski crystal colours and shapes are released for each season, constantly adding to their already huge inventory of beads.
There is also a range of Swarovski crystal pearls that come in sizes from 3mm to 12mm, and can be round, pear shaped or "wave" shaped (flatter than a normal Swarovski crystal pearl and with a slight twist). Swarovski crystal pearls have a crystal core and the coating is built up around the core layer by layer making the pearls fade, scratch, and chemical resistant, meaning the pearls won’t discolour when they come into contact with make-up or perfume.
