Swarovski Crystals
The History of Swarovski Crystal
Founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski, the company has become a well-known brand and high street name. In 2006, the company opened up a further 106 stores to add to current stores and created a combined total of 673 stores worldwide.
The company makes many different crystals creating an opportunity for consumers to present as gifts at various occasions such as engagements, weddings, birthdays and even Valentines Day. However, many of the products sold can equally be used to decorate house and home. In fact, the Swarovski crystal range includes sculptures, jewellery and figurines all suitable for those that want their place of abode to reflect their modern and fashionable tastes in society.
The products themselves range in price from as little as £10 for miniature items such as key rings to £10000 for more expensive items such as a dress. The Swarovski brand can also be found at many leading high street stores including H Samuel who have a large range of stock – in particular they have lots of crystallized animal ornaments such as this cute one http://www.hsamuel.co.uk/webstore/detail/R/4749189/?Sm=1 of a kitten.
The idea of buying a crystal is also considered cool because crystals are very much associated with magic and everyone likes witnessing some kind of magic from time to time. Swarovski have done and will continue to play on this in the future.
Swarovski is part of the swarovski group which comprises of Tyrolit who specialize in manufacturing tools, Swareflex, who specialize in road safety, Signity who specialize in gemstones, and Swarovski optic who specialize in optical equipment. The company also runs a crystal-themed theme park in the west part of Austria, helping them acquire an edge in a challenging and competitive marketplace.
About the Author
David Fox has been a long-standing customer of www.hsamuel.co.uk and recently bought the kitten ornament http://www.hsamuel.co.uk/webstore/detail/R/5918162/
Stiffening agent good for Swarovski crystals?
I’m making a pair of earings with size 11 beads, Japanese and Czech, 4mm fire-polished beads, and Swarovski crystals. The earnings are kind of flimsy and collapse in on themselves. I’ve heard that soaking in floor polsh can help stiffen the design, but would polish damage the Swarovski crystals? What could stiffen the strands? I’ve tried both Nymo and Fireline, but neither work. Any advice? Thanks.
Not knowing what type of pattern you’re using, I’m going to make a few assumptions.
Are you using an appropriate size of Nymo or Fireline? If so, it could be a tension issue. If you’re not holding your tension tightly enough it may prevent the pattern stabilizing. Conversely, if your tension is too tight, your work will curl on itself…the tension follows the thread despite the beads.
If tension is not the issue, are you using conditioned thread? The use of either beeswax or Bead Heaven on your thread before you work could solve your problem as it would give a little more stability to your thread.
Otherwise, yes, floor polish, such as Future, will work. Dip the piece, wipe off as much of the excess as possible and shape to dry.
Apply Swarovski Crystal Flat Backs (Non Hot-Fix)
