Handmade Sterling Jewelry

Swarovski History

Posted by Alicia E. Staz on September 20th, 2006 — Posted in Crystals

I am starting a series on birthstones. Many of the items at Beaded Royalty are designed with birthstones and I use Swarovski crystal beads exclusively because they are the best. Also called Austrian crystal, Swarovski crystal is the finest quality, full-lead crystal made today. Swarovski crystal contains a minimum of 32% PbO (lead), to maximize refraction and make the crystal optically pure. Swarovski crystal is faceted with tremendous precision and brilliant colors and/or coatings are added to create beads of dazzling beauty in a tremendous variety of shapes and sizes.

Daniel Swarovski was born in 1862 in Bohemia. Bohemia was one of the most important manufacturing centers for glass and crystal. As a young boy, Daniel watched his father work in his glass and crystal cutting business. When he got older, he completed apprenticeships with his father and at several other crystal-cutters. At the age of 21, he had an idea of a lifetime - develop a machine for cutting crystal. For nine years, he worked day and night on his dream. In 1892, he registered a patent for his invention: a machine that cut crystal to perfection every time. In 1895, he founded Swarovski with his brother-in-law Franz Weis and Armand Kosmann. They opened a crystal cutting factory in Wattens (near Innsbruck, Austria) where they could take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes of his machine.

It took the years between 1908 and 1913 to perfect the formula for a flawless crystal. This was done primarily by Daniel’s sons Wilhelm, Friedrich, and Alfred who followed in their father’s footsteps. Their goal was to create the very finest crystal in the world and to meet production demands that were growing every year.

Swarovski has invented and patented hundreds of unique products comprised of crystals. Here are just a few:

1931 - Crystal-set fabric ribbon, which could be applied directly to clothing, shoes, and any other accessory
1956 - Jewelry stone finish “Aurora Borealis”, which shimmers in every imaginable color
1967 - Machine cut simulated precious crystals
1975 - “Hot-Fix” technology adds a sparkling radiance to any item of clothing
1993 - “Crystal Mesh” revolutionized jewelry and fashion accessory design
1999 - “Crystal Tattoo” applies self-adhesive crystal jewelry stones to the skin
2003 - “Crystal Fabric” fuses fabric and crystal into a second skin