Swarovski
Encyclopedia
Swarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal (a particular type of glass) and related luxury
products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens
, Austria
. The company is split into two major industry areas, the Swarovski Kristall business unit that primarily works with luxury items and design crystals and the Tyrolit Schleifmittle business unit that is a worldwide leader in the tooling and machinery area.
Daniel Swarovski
(October 24, 1862 – January 23, 1956), formerly Daniel Swartz, was born in northern Bohemia
(now the Czech Republic
). His father was a glass cutter who owned a small glass factory. It was there that a young Swarovski served an apprenticeship
, becoming skilled in the art of glass-cutting. In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of crystal glass.
In 1895, Swarovski financier Armand Kosman and Franz Weis founded the Swarovski company, originally known as A. Kosmann, Daniel Swartz & Co., which was later shortened to K.S. & Co. The company established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens
, Tyrol
(Austria
), to take advantage of local hydroelectricity
for the energy-intensive grinding
processes Daniel Swarovski patented.
s, jewelry and couture
, home decor, and chandelier
s.
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.
To create crystal glass that lets light refract in a rainbow spectrum, Swarovski coats some of its products with special metallic chemical coatings. Aurora Borealis, or "AB", is one of the most popular coatings, and gives the surface a rainbow appearance. Other coatings are named by the company, 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 copyrighted cut designed to optimise the brilliance of Roses (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 gemstone
s); and Swarovski Optik
(optical instrument
s 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 glass-covered head, the mouth of which is a fountain
. The glass-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
Daniel Swarovski
Swarovski Optik
Atelier Swarovski
Swarovski Crystal Palace
Swarovski Elements
Swarovski Gemstone Business
Swarovski Lighting
Tyrolit
Swareflex
Schonbek
Touchstone Crystal
to produce the "Active-Crystals" consumer electronics range. This includes six USB Memory keys
and four in-ear headphones, and in 2008 they included Bluetooth
wireless earpieces for the brand, all with some form of Swarovski crystal on them as decoration.
Crystallized – Swarovski Elements crystals were included in some collectible silver coins issued by the Royal Canadian Mint
in 2009.
Christmas Tree in New York City for the first of five consecutive years.
Swarovski was a sponsor for The Phantom of the Opera
, in which the "standing model" of the chandelier was composed of Swarovski crystals. A Swarovski shop window is visible later in the film. However instead of using the edelweiss
flower, which would have been the case in the era the film was set, the current swan logo was used.
Swarovski is product-placed in the 2011 J-Lo
promo video for the single "On The Floor
", alongside Crown Royal Whisky
and BMW
.
Luxury good
Luxury goods are products and services that are not considered essential and associated with affluence.The concept of luxury has been present in various forms since the beginning of civilization. Its role was just as important in ancient western and eastern empires as it is in modern societies...
products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens
Wattens
Wattens is a market community in Austria which is the home of the Swarovski Kristallwelten, dedicated to the history surrounding the company, the man himself Daniel Swarovski and exhibitions of the crystals.It attracts visitors from the world over....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. The company is split into two major industry areas, the Swarovski Kristall business unit that primarily works with luxury items and design crystals and the Tyrolit Schleifmittle business unit that is a worldwide leader in the tooling and machinery area.
History
Daniel Swarovski
Daniel Swarovski was an Austrian glass cutter and jeweller born in Bohemia. His father was a glass cutter who owned a small glass factory, and Swarovski first learned the art of glass-cutting in his father's factory...
(October 24, 1862 – January 23, 1956), formerly Daniel Swartz, was born in northern Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
(now the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
). His father was a glass cutter who owned a small glass factory. It was there that a young Swarovski served an apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
, becoming skilled in the art of glass-cutting. In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of crystal glass.
In 1895, Swarovski financier Armand Kosman and Franz Weis founded the Swarovski company, originally known as A. Kosmann, Daniel Swartz & Co., which was later shortened to K.S. & Co. The company established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens
Wattens
Wattens is a market community in Austria which is the home of the Swarovski Kristallwelten, dedicated to the history surrounding the company, the man himself Daniel Swarovski and exhibitions of the crystals.It attracts visitors from the world over....
, Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
(Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
), to take advantage of local hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
for the energy-intensive grinding
Grinding (abrasive cutting)
Grinding is an abrasive machining process that uses a grinding wheel as the cutting tool.A wide variety of machines are used for grinding:* Hand-cranked knife-sharpening stones * Handheld power tools such as angle grinders and die grinders...
processes Daniel Swarovski patented.
Products
The Swarovski Crystal range includes crystal glass sculptures and miniatureFigurine
A figurine is a statuette that represents a human, deity or animal. Figurines may be realistic or iconic, depending on the skill and intention of the creator. The earliest were made of stone or clay...
s, jewelry and couture
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
, home decor, and chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
s.
All sculptures are marked with a logo. The original Swarovski logo was an edelweiss
Edelweiss
Edelweiss , Leontopodium alpinum, is a well-known European mountain flower, belonging to the sunflower family.-Names:The common name comes from German edel, meaning "noble", and weiß "white", thus signifying "noble whiteness".The scientific name Leontopodium is a Latin adaptation of Greek...
flower, which was replaced by a S.A.L. logo, which was finally replaced with the current swan logo in 1988.
To create crystal glass that lets light refract in a rainbow spectrum, Swarovski coats some of its products with special metallic chemical coatings. Aurora Borealis, or "AB", is one of the most popular coatings, and gives the surface a rainbow appearance. Other coatings are named by the company, 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 copyrighted cut designed to optimise the brilliance of Roses (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 gemstone
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
s); and Swarovski Optik
Swarovski Optik
Swarovski Optik is an Austrian manufacturer of sports optics, including binoculars, rifle scopes, telescopes, laser rangefinders and image intensifiers. Its headquarters are in Absam, Tyrol, where most of the products are developed and manufactured....
(optical instrument
Optical instrument
An optical instrument either processes light waves to enhance an image for viewing, or analyzes light waves to determine one of a number of characteristic properties.-Image enhancement:...
s such as binoculars and rifle scopes).
The company runs a crystal-themed indoor theme park, Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds) at its original Wattens
Wattens
Wattens is a market community in Austria which is the home of the Swarovski Kristallwelten, dedicated to the history surrounding the company, the man himself Daniel Swarovski and exhibitions of the crystals.It attracts visitors from the world over....
site (near Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
, Tyrol, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
). The Crystal Worlds centre is fronted by a glass-covered head, the mouth of which is a fountain
Fountain
A fountain is a piece of architecture which pours water into a basin or jets it into the air either to supply drinking water or for decorative or dramatic effect....
. The glass-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.
Subsidiary companies
- Fashion accessories and crystal-based ornaments.
Daniel Swarovski
- Jewelry, handbags, accessories and interior design objects.
Swarovski Optik
- Optics.
Atelier Swarovski
- Fashion and jewellery designers.
Swarovski Crystal Palace
- Avant-garde lighting and design (chandeliers etc.).
Swarovski Elements
- Crystal designs.
Swarovski Gemstone Business
- Gemstone designs.
Swarovski Lighting
- Swarovski finished lighting products and solutions with crystal for architecture.
Tyrolit
- A bonded grinding and dressing tools company.
Swareflex
- A road safety products specialist.
Schonbek
- A crystal chandelier manufacturer.
Touchstone Crystal
- Swarovski's direct sales company for ready-made jewelry
Active-Crystals
In 2007 Swarovski formed a partnership with electronics giant PhilipsPhilips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
to produce the "Active-Crystals" consumer electronics range. This includes six USB Memory keys
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
and four in-ear headphones, and in 2008 they included Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
wireless earpieces for the brand, all with some form of Swarovski crystal on them as decoration.
Figurines and collectibles
Swarovski's figurines are collectible, with a stylized mouse being the very first figurine created. A smaller version of this mouse, now labeled the "replica mouse", is still available. The company produces many types of figurines from ladybugs to limited edition Disney collectibles.Crystallized – Swarovski Elements crystals were included in some collectible silver coins issued by the Royal Canadian Mint
Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint produces all of Canada's circulation coins, and manufactures circulation coins on behalf of other nations. The Mint also designs and manufactures: precious and base metal collector coins; gold, silver, palladium, and platinum bullion coins; medals, as well as medallions and...
in 2009.
Sponsorship and placement
In 2004, Swarovski created the 9 feet (2.7 m), 550 pounds (249.5 kg) star that tops the Rockefeller CenterRockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
Christmas Tree in New York City for the first of five consecutive years.
Swarovski was a sponsor for The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)
The Phantom of the Opera is a 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical of the same name, which in turn was based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux....
, in which the "standing model" of the chandelier was composed of Swarovski crystals. A Swarovski shop window is visible later in the film. However instead of using the edelweiss
Edelweiss
Edelweiss , Leontopodium alpinum, is a well-known European mountain flower, belonging to the sunflower family.-Names:The common name comes from German edel, meaning "noble", and weiß "white", thus signifying "noble whiteness".The scientific name Leontopodium is a Latin adaptation of Greek...
flower, which would have been the case in the era the film was set, the current swan logo was used.
Swarovski is product-placed in the 2011 J-Lo
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
promo video for the single "On The Floor
On the Floor
"On the Floor" is a song by American recording artist and actress Jennifer Lopez, featuring Latin American rapper Pitbull. It was released by Island Records on February 11, 2011, as the lead single from Lopez's seventh studio album, Love?...
", alongside Crown Royal Whisky
Crown Royal
Crown Royal is a blended Canadian whisky, 40% alcohol by volume, 80 proof. The brand is currently owned by Diageo, who purchased it when the Seagram portfolio was dissolved in the year 2000. It is the top-selling Canadian whisky in the United States....
and BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
.