Swarovski - The story

Daniel Swarovski (October 24, 1862 January 23, 1956) was born to a glass cutter in the Austrian monarchy. In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of lead crystal glass. In 1895, Swarovski financier Armand Kosman and Franz Weis founded the Swarovski company, originally known as A. Kosmann, Daniel Swarovski & Co, which was later shortened to K.S. & Co.[4] The company established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens, Tyrol, to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes which Daniel Swarovski had patented.[3][5]

The Swarovski-crystal-covered Christmas tree at the Toronto Eaton Centre in 2006. The Swarovski Crystal range includes crystal sculptures and miniatures, jewelry and couture, home decor and chandeliers. All sculptures are marked with a logo. The original Swarovski logo was an edelweiss flower, which was replaced by a "S.A.L." logo which was finally replaced with the current swan logo in 1988.[6] In order to create a crystal that allows light to refract in a rainbow spectrum, Swarovski coats some of its crystals with special metallic chemical coatings. Aurora Borealis, or "AB", is one of the most popular coatings, and gives the surface a rainbow oil slick appearance.[7] Other coatings include Crystal Transmission, Volcano, Aurum, and Dorado. Coatings may be applied to only part of an object; others are coated twice, and thus are designated AB 2X, Dorado 2X etc. In 2004 Swarovski released Xilion, a new copyrighted cut designed to optimise the brilliance of Roses (crystal components with flat backs) and Chatons (diamond cut). The Swarovski Group also includes Tyrolit (makers of abrasive and cutting tools); Swareflex (reflective and luminous road markings); Signity (synthetic and natural gemstones); and Swarovski Optik (optical instruments such as binoculars and rifle scopes). The company runs a crystal-themed indoor theme park, Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds) at its original Wattens site (near Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria). The Crystal Worlds centre is fronted by a grass-covered head, the mouth of which is a fountain. The grass-covered Crystal Worlds houses exhibitions related to, or inspired by, the crystals — but do not include explanations of how the famous designs are made, produced or finished.

Swarovski also sells beads and rhinestones for use by manufacturers, artists and consumers in their designs. In 2007 the company also launched the product brand website crystallized.com which provides information for designers and manufacturers in the worlds of fashion, jewellery, accessories and interiors. Crystallized Swarovski Elements is the new product brand for Swarovski crystals in a variety of sizes, shapes and colours. Products that are labelled with this brand guarantee the originality of Swarovski crystals used in creations of international fashion houses and designers.