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Home > Swarovski and Strass Crystal Information
Swarovski and Strass Crystal Information
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SWAROVSKI / STRASS
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.
Strass is the finest quality crystal used in the making of lighting fixtures.
Strass is a trademark of
Swarovski company, made using a precision process of machine cutting and
polishing. Strass crystal is
optically pure with lead content more than 30%, an invisible coating that
repels dust, and incredible light
refraction. Each piece (over 12mm diameter) can be identified by the Strass
signature as a guarantee of
authenticity.
Spectra is a high quality Swarovski crystal made much like Strass but with
2 main differences. First,
Spectra does not contain lead like its more premier counterpart. Also,
Spectra has a different cut pattern
than Strass. Despite these difference, Spectra pieces have very good light
refraction.
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.
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). |
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