The history of rhinestones and crystals by Daniel Swarovski

Wonderful Taccetti shoes, as if sprinkled with stardust, looked luxurious and noble ... ... Yes, today imitation with precious stones is very relevant. We want to stand out from the general mass of people, we try to decorate ourselves. The desire to please ourselves and others makes us think of something ... Rhinestones will help us with this. You will emphasize your individuality and originality with rhinestones. Today rhinestones imitate diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, topazes, amethysts. They are used not only in jewelry, but also in clothes, shoes, accessories, in the interior, in the car. You can decorate any thing, and it will be unique, and if you decorate with Swarovski crystals, it will also be luxurious. Swarovski jewelry takes part in almost every Haute Couture show.

And when did these decorations appear? In the 18th century, the Austrian jeweler Georg Frederik Strass obtained glass with a high content of lead (lead crystal) and noticed that it resembles diamonds with light reflection and brilliance. He thought about it and decided - ... what if? ... Yes, he decided to use it in jewelry, but not as glass, but as a diamond. In the end, the forgeries were discovered, and Strass went down in history not as an inventor, but as an adventurer. And fake diamonds began to be called rhinestones.

Another inventor and skilled cutter of crystal, Daniel Swarovski, had a different fate.

Daniel Swarovski was born on October 24, 1862 in Georgenthal in North Bohemia. His father, glassmaker, had his own workshop. And Daniel not only helped his father in his painstaking work, adopting skills and acquiring skills, but also devoted time to playing the violin. Daniel turned out to be a gifted violinist. At that time, he dreamed more of recognition in the musical field. And so, after leaving his homeland, he left for France to make his dream come true. However, he soon realized that ambitions alone were not enough - there were many like him, and he would hardly be able to win the resounding fame of a violinist. He started studying engineering. Once, having visited the World Electrotechnical Exhibition, I thought - it would be nice to invent an electric grinding machine. And what? It turned out that the lessons in my father's workshop did not pass without leaving a trace. In 1891 he managed to invent such a machine. Now he could work on it, cutting crystals many times faster than his competitors. However, what about electricity. Daniel was not only a capable engineer, but also an excellent entrepreneur. In 1895, he learned that his enterprise should be established in the Tyrolean mountains, where it is possible to use a hydroelectric power station.

Since then, for five generations, Swarovski has continued to work and create products that are unique in beauty and quality, which are presented in a huge assortment: jewelry, bijouterie, fabric products, chandelier pendants, souvenirs, figurines, as well as grinding tools, optical instruments, etc. many other products. Daniel Swarovski himself invented an apparatus that grinds rhinestones, which are then sewn onto the fabric. The products are unique. Swarovski accounts for 80% of rhinestones produced worldwide. In 1900, his brand received the name that it still bears - Swarovski.

And the demand for crystal "diamonds" turned out to be huge. Swarovski sent his first samples of jewelry to Paris and St. Petersburg. Women of fashion accepted them with delight, because everyone has a desire to decorate themselves with jewelry, but not everyone has the same opportunities. Since then, bijouterie adorns women with "precious" stones.

The beauty and cut of crystals is such that an inexperienced eye cannot distinguish them from diamonds.In the 50s of the last century, Daniel Swarovski's grandson, Manfred, developed a technology for making multi-colored crystals. And since then the company has been producing crystals of various sizes, cut, color and shape. Decorating a thing with rhinestones is a painstaking manual work. But Swarovski crystals are perfect. Therefore, when buying a thing with Swarovski rhinestones, you can be sure that they will sparkle and will not darken, will not peel off from the base, and your thing will bring you joy and pleasure for a long time.

Swarovski crystals are known all over the world, many brands use them in their products. Models with rhinestones Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli were the first to take to the catwalk. And today, almost every designer has in his collection clothes embroidered with rhinestones: Chanel, Dior, Armani and many others. At the last fashion show in Milan - autumn - winter - 2012 - 2013, shimmering crystal crystals adorned the luxurious models Armani and Cavalli. Famous Italian firms Flamino Martini, Gallo decorate their lamps and chandeliers with Swarovski crystal. Queen of outrageous Vivienne westwood also not without "diamonds".

Many Hollywood stars and catwalk queens have clothes adorned with crystal crystals in their wardrobe. Jewelry and outfits with Swarovski crystals were worn Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, Tina Turner. To celebrate John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday, Monroe wore a long sheer marquise embroidered with crystals. When the spotlights flashed in the evening twilight, the fabric “dissolved”, and her body was enveloped in a brilliant shine. The sparkling crystals were Swarovski crystals.

In 1976 the Swarovski company opened a new line called Silver Crystal. A small crystal mouse was made from several pendants for the chandelier. The mouse turned out to be so pretty that after a while turtles, hedgehogs, deer, swans and other little animals and birds appeared. Many admirers of luxurious Swarovski crystals began to collect these animals. The company took this extremely seriously. Figures are made especially for collectors, the sketches of which and even the tools with which they were made are then destroyed. After all, they should be only in small quantities, that is why they are collectible. The company has organized a club of collectors, which makes these cute figurines. Yes, the marketing department of the company has worked hard on this.

Do you know how many people are in the collectors club? - more than half a million. And once a year the company presents all of them with such figures.

The story about this unique company will be incomplete if you do not tell which museum was created in 1995 for its centenary. The museum is called "The Crystal World". In Tyrol, near Innsbruck, in an underground cave consisting of labyrinths and several rooms connected by stairs and corridors, there are unique exhibits from the Swarovski collection. A huge giant with burning eyes guards this cave in the light of searchlights, from which a waterfall rushes down from his open mouth. Light refracts in water droplets, and it seems that the waterfall is also made of crystals that play with all the colors of the rainbow. In the museum you can see crystals listed in the Guinness Book of Records: the largest crystal with a diameter of 40 cm, weighing 62 kg and the smallest, which is easier to see under a microscope, with a diameter of 0.8 mm.
A stunning spectacle of the glass sky, in which the stars twinkle. And the triangular mirrors in one of the halls, of which there are about 600, create the illusion that you are inside a crystal, and around a glass abyss.

All the masterpieces of the museum are the beauty of nature, changed by man.

Currently, you can buy any item decorated with rhinestones. You can also decorate your wardrobe items with rhinestones on your own, but we'll talk about this another time ...