I am the recent owner of a pretty, red, shinny necklace which I bought on my last trip. I was a little bit curious to find out more about my new acquisition. And because my godmother, who is a Chemistry teacher, shared with me the fact that my eye-taking jewelry is nothing more that glass I started snooping around.
Swarovski. Everybody knows what Swarovski stands for and what it represents. Here's what Wiki says about it: "Swarovski is the luxury brand name for the range of precision- cut lead crystal glass products produced by companies owned by Swarovski AG of Feldmein, near Zurich, Switzarland.
Lead crystal, (also called crystal), is lead glass that has been hand or machine cut with facets. Lead oxide added to the molten glass gives lead crystal a much higher index of refraction than normal glass, and consequently much greater "sparkle". The presence of lead also makes the glass softer and easier to cut. Crystal can consist of up to 35% lead, at which point it has the most sparkle. The higher lead content also makes it much more difficult to form crystal during manufacturing."
So Swarovski crystal is nothing more than mere glass. Yes, ordinary glass that is pretty cut with Daniel Swarovski's automatic cutting machine which he invented and patented. Practically I bought some painted glass which is cut & chemically treated so it can sparkle & twinkle.
But at least they had an interesting interactive museum there in which I spent an hour and a half staring up and down, left and right, like a confused puppy (I found some Andy Warhol and Joan Miro creations). Another good thing about Swarovski that I found out is that they manufacture high precision binoculars which if you think about the ration between quality and price you won't pull your hair out.
But, in the end, I am still trying to figure out what is all the fuss about this glass, with all due respect to the inventor and his division. Everybody wants them on their clothes and in their houses (I think next we'll find out about swarovski crystal based druggs or smth for the rich and famous which should be snorted only from a gold plateau), from brides to parents for their newborns, and everyone is accepting to pay the high prices which aren't exactly justified in my opinion. I don't even get myself why I bought it...but it's pretty and sparkly and red and I just joined the Blonde Bimbo Society. Hurray!