Swarovski Crystal Facts
Swarovski crystals are made in Austria and have been well known to jewelry and fashion enthusiasts in the United States since the 1970s. The unique quality of the crystals comes from Daniel Swarovskis' secret recipe for the lead crystal glass that a makes a Swarovski a Swarovski. The brand is recognized worldwide by it's swan logo that is printed on every single piece it sells. The brand is a mark of luxury and glamor. Does this Spark an idea?
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Daniel Swarovski
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In 1892 Daniel Swarovski invented his crystal cutting machine that allows him to produce such quality cuts. He had worked in his fathers' glass cutting factory and now, at a young age, had changed the crystal cutting process forever. In 1895, three years after his invention he founded the Swarovski Company and made home décor pieces. The French designer Christian Dior in 1957 helped to produce the alluringly popular color Aurora Borealis and it was a hit. In 1977 Swarovski came to the United States with a jewelry collection and has been a favorite of fashion lovers ever since.
Sculpture
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Swarovski does not only produce crystals intended for jewelry. They are also producers of belts, watches and handbags for men as well and women. Another unique product includes sculpture and in 2010 Swarovski introduced a new collection of sculptural pieces. The golden dragon includes 63,110 hand laid crystals in 21 shades of gold. The elephant sparkles with smoky quartz, topaz and black diamond colored crystals and the horse made of crystal metallic blue. The set will be completed by the end of 2010 with the final piece, the falcon.
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Lead Crystal Glass
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Swarovski crystal isn't actually made of crystal. It's a glass made of a secret recipe containing natural minerals, metals and quartz sand. The material is melted and then cooled at a very slow rate. The crystals are especially shiny because of their unique composition, they are 32 percent lead. In addition some of the crystals are coated with other metallic chemicals to produce color effects. Aurora Borealis is one of their popular colored crystals and it gives a light rainbow sheen.
Swarovski Crystal Worlds
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In 1995 the Swarovski group celebrated its 100th birthday and to celebrate they built the Swarovski Crystal Worlds theme park. The crystal themed park sparkles in the heart of the Alps just outside the town of Wattens, Austria where the Swarovski crystal factory is located. It is one of the most popular attractions in the country and features a 42 meter long route filled with 12 tons of crystals, a water spouting giant and pieces from the artists Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol.
Economics
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The Swarovski group is a worldwide business operating in 18 countries. As of 2009 they own over 1000 boutiques and have an additional 800 partner owned boutiques. They employ a total of 24,841 people worldwide. In 2009 the Swarovski group made a turnover profit of 2.25 billion euro. 1.77 percent of that profit came directly from their crystals, the rest came from Tyrolit and Optics.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit emerald image by Barcabloo from Fotolia.com
