First and foremost, the crystal that is used to make
faceted beads in Austria and other parts of Europe and
Asia is MAN MADE. Also referred to as leaded
glass, crystal was invented by an English glassmaker
named George Ravenscroft in the late 1600's. While glass
is a mixture of silica, an alkali such as soda or
potash, and lime, Ravenscroft added a larger amount of
lead oxide instead of potash to the mix. This mixture
increased the density of the glass, which increased it's
refractive properties, and created a material that can
better withstand cutting and engraving.
Although there are no official American standards
regarding crystal, much of the World follows the
official British Standard (BS 3828:1973) that states:
Fine crystal must contain 6% to 10% lead oxide
Lead crystal must contain 10% to 24% lead oxide
Full lead crystal must contain 24% or more lead
oxide.
It is also important to note that chemicals, rather
than dyes are used to create the different colors of
crystal. It is actually more difficult to produce clear
crystal, as it must be free of impurities in order to be
sure that a perfectly clear crystal is the end result.
In order to achieve the most sparkle and shine, the
cutting and polishing techniques are extremely
important. While many crystal products used to be
painstakingly cut by hand, most crystal is now cut using
state of the art, high precision machines, very similar
to the process in which diamonds are cut.
Many consider Swarovski crystals to
be the best in the world as each crystal is machine
cut. Daniel Swarovski invented a state of the art
glass cutting machine that ensures the points
(facets) of each face meet perfectly to form a true
point. This machine enabled Daniel to produce his
Austrian crystals using precise optical techniques
for maximum sparkle. Special coatings are
chemically bonded to the outer surface for a more
brilliant appearance. Swarovski dominates the full
lead crystal market by providing 70% of the market
share. These crystals contain approximately 32%
lead as only those with at least 30% lead are
considered to be full lead crystal.
The History of Swarovski
While there are a few companies in the world
manufacturing crystal beads, the leader in the industry
is Swarovski. Daniel Swarovski, a young man from
Bohemia, invented and patented a crystal cutting machine
in 1892. In 1895, he moved his family and his factory
from Bohemia to the town of Wattens, high in the Alps of
Austria. Here, he had the water he needed to run his
machines, and he was far away from the competition. In
1913, With his three sons, Wilhelm, Friedrich and
Alfred, Daniel Swarovski built a plant for the
production of crystal, in order to provide raw material
of the highest quality.
Swarovski continues to demand the very highest quality
of their products. This is what distinguishes them from
the rest of the market. They are incredibly secretive
about their processes, even their workers in the
factories do not see what other workers are doing so
that they do not share any secrets with others! Their
cutting and polishing techniques are superior, and they
will continue to dominate the crystal bead market with
their stunning colors and unique shapes.
