Swarovski Crystals in Our jewelry--December 18, 2013

Swarovski Crystals are truly beautiful, and you’ll find that Lee likes to use Swarovski crystals in many of his designs. A few of Lee’s designs featuring Swarovski crystals are included in today's blog.

Early in our jewelry making adventures, I became enchanted with the names and the colors of Swarovski crystals. Every time I placed an order to our supplier, or entered our newly received orders into the inventory database, I’d have to stop and actually look and touch a bicone or briolette to see what it was.

And the color names—what does Padparadscha look like?

After years of measuring in inches and feet, I needed to quickly understand the size of a 4 mm or 12 mm bead and then envision how this unique Swarovski crystal would look in a new necklace, bracelet, or earrings.

Birthstone Gold Jewelry Set

Hmmm. Purchasing the orders Lee gave me and maintaining inventory was certainly part of my “job”, but the real challenge was to learn and understand how these item numbers with the odd names and unusual colors contributed to Lee’s designs and the finished jewelry pieces that made our customers happy. I had a mission.

A bit of history:

Daniel Swarovski learned glass cutting as a youngster in his father’s glass cutting factory. He patented an electric cutting machine to enable the production of crystal glass. Financing help allowed him to establish a company with a location in Wattens, Austria. Led today by fourth and fifth generations of the family, Swarovski is respected worldwide for its high quality crystal products.

Black Onyx, White Pearls and Ruby Red Silver Jewelry Set

Quality is the main reason you’ll find Swarovski crystals in many of our Buchanan Family Jewelry designs. Lee uses rounds, bicones and pearls—including round pearls, and pear-shaped and oval pearls. He’s also used hearts, briolettes (pear shape with long triangular facets) and navettes (long oval crystal with long facets on the side and diamond facets around the center).

Red Magna Heart and Crystal Bicone Silver Pendant

Swarovski pearls come in a variety of colors and sizes and are perfect for any occasion. Unlike “real” pearls, the Swarovski crystal pearls are not sensitive to perfumes or perspiration. They are one of my favorites!

Vintage Gold, Petrol and Bordeaux Pearls Gold Jewelry Set

Swarovski also has a variety of coatings that are added to their crystals. Lee likes the AB (Aurora Borealis), and the AB X2 coating that gives the crystal a special sparkle—the WOW factor!

Information on Swarovski Crystals is vast. While I find the history of our industry fascinating, my goal in this post was not to write a book report, but to share a little bit with you, our valued reader and customer. Hope you enjoyed it!

By the way–Padparadscha as a Swarovski crystal color refers to the Padparadscha sapphire, a rare and expensive gemstone. Web research indicates it has a pinkish-red to orange color. The term padparadscha is derived from the Sanskrit –padma raga–lotus color.

Golden Delight Gold Jewelry Set

 

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