That’s a very good question, and one I get quite often from customers. The most common questions are : what is it made of, and why does it increase the cost of handmade jewelry.
Swarovski crystal is Austrian cut crystal produced by the Swarovski company, which was started in 1895. If you have seen high-end chandeliers, chances are that the crystals are Swarovski crystal. The difference betweeen a Swarovski crystal and regular cut crystal is instantly evident upon viewing them. The brilliance is like none other – it reflects light in a million different ways. If you like sparkly, this is definitely the way to go. The quality of Swarovski crystal beads is unmatched in terms of cut, finish and brilliance. If you view a Czech crystal bead, it looks rather “flat” by comparison. Cut is as important to crystal as it is to diamonds. A better cut diamond will always cost more – the same goes for a crystal bead.
There are many different colors and shapes of Swarovski crystal beads. One of the most recognizable colors is called Crystal AB or Crystal Aurora Borealis – which shines in many different colors of the rainbow. This effective is produced by a coating that Daniel Swarovski invented in 1956. In recent years, Swarovski has produced new coatings to achieve a similar effect – adding an irridescent silver, gold or rainbow coating to crystals. The earrings pictures below using the new Swarovski “Golden Crystal Shadow” color – which has an irridescent gold coating on a taupe-colored crystal. The crystal bead used in these earring is also one of the new Swarovski shapes introduced in the past couple of years.
Swarovski continously updates their crystal bead selection, add new colors, limited edition colors and shapes. Sadly, some of the limited edition and older items are no longer available for sale – and are relegated to the “vintage Swarovski” realm. For example, the below necklace was crafted using a vintage Swarovski teardrop-shaped foil-back pendant, sadly discontinued many years ago. I only have a few left of these crystals.
For more Swarovski crystal handmade jewelry, visit Romeo & Jewels Handmade Jewelry
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