Beadwitched ~ Beads & Swarovski Crystals

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Monday, September 05, 2005

A Brief History of Swarovski Crystals

Swarovski is world renowned for producing the finest crystal made ~ there’s something magical about their crystal. I thought some background on the amazing man and the family who continue his legacy would be of interest to my fellow Swarovski lovers. BTW, the correct pronunciation of the name is Swore-Off-Ski. This is my condensed version of the story; a combination of the information I’ve read and gathered from the internet.
Daniel Swarovski was born in Bohemia in 1862, the son of a gem cutter ~ as a boy he watched crystal being hand-cut in his father’s small factory, for Bohemia was one of the most important manufacturing centers for glass and crystal at that time. As a young man he completed an apprenticeship with his father and several other crystal cutters. In 1883 he visited the International Electric Exhibition in Vienna, where he saw machinery invented by Edison and others, which inspired him to invent the first machine that cuts crystal with unprecedented precision and speed. It took him 9 years! Swarovski patented his invention in 1892, and in 1895 he set up a factory in Austria specializing in the production of precision-cut crystal. Swarovski and his sons experimented with methods to produce flawless crystal, and succeeded in producing the grinding wheels necessary for cutting those crystals. Swarovski crystal became known as the finest quality full-lead crystal available, and was in great demand throughout Europe and the U.S. Costume jewelry became increasingly fashionable, and Swarovski expanded into glass manufacturing, assisted by his 3 sons. By 1931 Swarovski began manufacturing trimmings ~ jewelry stones for decorative bands and laces to be appliquéd to garments and other accessories.
In 1956 Daniel Swarovski passed away at the age of 94. His ancestors continue to produce the stunning, optically pure crystal, adding brilliant colors and coatings, and faceting it with tremendous precision, creating beautiful prisms, pendants and beads. In 1995, computer technology was added which calculates and programs the complex machinery involved in cutting perfectly identical faceted crystals. Today, Swarovski crystal beads are available in a tremendous variety of colors, shapes and sizes to inspire our creativity ~ thank you, Daniel Swarovski!

1 Comments:

  • At 12:27 PM, Blogger Cher said…

    GREAT BLOG, SIS! Love all the Swarov info... and Bun pics, of course! Cher

     

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