Swarovski

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Swarovski AG

Type of co.	Private [1]
Founded	1895
Headquarters	Austria
Key people	Daniel Swarovski
Industry	Luxury Jewelry
Products	Crystals
Revenue
Employees	(2004)
Website	www.swarovski.com

Swarovski is the luxury brand name for the range of precision-cut crystal glass products produced by companies owned by Swarovski AG of Feldmeilen, near Zürich, Switzerland.

The Swarovski Group also includes Tyrolit (makers of abrasive and cutting tools); Swareflex (reflective and luminous road markings); Signity (synthetic gemstones); and Swarovski Optik (optical instruments).

The company runs a crystal-themed indoor theme park, Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds) at its original Wattens site.

[edit] History

Swarovski crystal was born when Bohemian-born Daniel Swarovski invented an automatic cutting machine in 1892. In 1895 the Swarovski company was founded when he established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens (near Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria). Here he could take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes he had patented.

Swarovski crystal contains approximately 32% lead to maximize refraction. The Swarovski Crystal range includes crystal sculptures and miniatures, jewelry and couture, home decor, chandeliers, and beads and rhinestones for manufacturers and artists.

Swarovski crystal beads

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. Other coatings include Crystal Transmission, Volcano, Aurum, and Dorado. Coatings are applied to 50% of an object, however some are coated two times, and thus are designated AB 2X, Dorado 2X etc.

The original Swarovski logo was an edelweiss flower, but was replaced with the current swan logo in 1988. All sculptures are marked with this logo. A recent development was the 2004 release of a new copyrighted cut, Xilion, designed to optimise the brilliance of Roses (crystal components with flat backs) and Chatons (diamond cut).