The History Of Swarovski

DISCOVER THE WONDROUS HISTORY BEHIND THE MOST FAMOUS CUT CRYSTAL IN THE WORLD –SWAROVSKI. NADIA CRIGHTON REPORTS.

- Nadia Crighton

CRYSTAL IS FAMOUS FOR its hypnotising beauty and has been sculpted, polished and designed into jewellery and fine art for many years. Swarovski, synonymous with quality and style, have been the leaders and innovators of cut crystal for over 100 years.

THE BEGINNINGS OF A NAME

Daniel Swarovski was born in 1862 in Jablonec, Bohemia, a town north of Prague in today’s Czech Republic. Considering Jabolnec’s long history of cutting and polishing stone for the jewellery industry, and Daniel’s father owning and running a small crystal cutting factory, it’s not surprising that as a young boy, Daniel dreamt of cutting and creating beautiful pieces from crystal.

He loved to watch his father work and was so inspired that he later completed an apprenticeship alongside him and other crystal cutters.

After visiting many shows and being dazzled by the crystals cutters, Daniel soon dreamt of creating a way to revolutionise the crystal cutting world forever. So he set out to cut crystal to precise perfection in a way never done before.

Working day and night to secure his vision, Daniel was ready to etch his name in the history books. In 1892 he registered a patent machine, which for the first time, made it possible to cut and polish crystal to perfection. This machine also made the process quicker and more accurate than any manual practise before.

In 1895 Daniel travelled to the Austrian town of Tyrol and, alongside his brother-in-law Franz Weis and Armand Kosmannstill, founded the family business.

A MAN OF VISION

Nadia caught up with Bernadette Larcher, Head of International PR Swarovski, to chat about the company’s interesting history, and to find out how it has grown from strength to strength over the years.