The Beautiful World Of Swarovski Crystals

Daniel Swarovski 1862-1956

One of the worlds most breathtaking sites is  the shimmering display of light reflecting from a Swarovski Crystal embellished costume. These magnificent crystals can be seen on ballet costumes, evening gowns, shoes, jewelry, and even wall art.

Any basic item can be transformed into a sparkling gem by the application of Swarovski Crystals. Even a plain cell phone can be given added richness by gluing reflective crystals over the surface.

Where Do Swarovski Crystals Come From?

Have you ever wondered about the origins of this fabulous crystal? These lovely crystals originated in the mind of a glass cutter’s son, Daniel Swarovski, way back in 1892. Daniel and his father operated a glass cutting business in Austria where Daniel invented and patented a special machine to cut the crystals into specified sizes.

You may also hear these crystals being referred to as Austrian crystals. The Austrian crystal is considered the finest in the world. I agree. These crystals are simply stunning to look at.

How Austrian Crystals Are Created

Over at the Swarovski factory in Wattens, Austria, the machine-cut crystals now rely on technology. The company uses computers to calculate the proper amount of facets and polishing technique for maximum brilliance of each stone. Using computers also helps produce stones that are exact in size. What did they do with Austrian crystals before the invention of machine polishing and cutting?

Daniel Swarovski would be amazed at how far technology has come with the technique of using machines to cut and polish crystal stones.

Types And Shapes Of Crystals

Swarovski crystals come many different shapes, sizes, and colors. They are cut into squares, beads, pearls, rounds, flat-backs, and an interesting shape called the bi-cone. What a glorious array of stone shapes! The decorating possibilities are endless with so many varieties of colors and shapes.

Swarovski Cubes

Look at those beautiful cubes. They almost look like candy. The reflective quality of the clear crystal cube is amazing.

Pearls And Beads

Which one is your favorite? It would be so difficult to decide which one to choose if I could only choose one.

Round And Bi-Cones

The Many Uses Of Swarovski Crystals

The Swarovski Company actually has many divisions within the company. The crystals are used for many other things besides embellishments and jewelry.Some of the crystals are used for industrial purposes like grinding, polishing and for components in everyday items like clocks and watches.

A Chunk Of Raw Lead

Swarovski Crystal Contains 30% Lead

When I read that, I had to go find out what raw lead looks like.  Only a real glass maker can guess the technique used to make a clear crystal from something that looks like this. I can only guess that a glass maker uses intense heat to change the chemical properties of gray lead into crystal clear glass. I will have to research that a little further.

When Daniel Swarovski invented and patented his crystal cutting machine, he changed the world of fashion and design forever. He left a lasting legacy of beauty and sparkle in this world. You can see the fabulous celebration of Swarovski sparkle at the Crystal Worlds or Swarovski Kristallwelten display in Austria.

Karinska Tutu Design-What Is It?

In one of my earlier posts, I mention a style of tutu known as the “Karinska” powder puff  tutu that was created for one of George Balanchine’s ballets. Today, I am researching a little more information on Karinska herself.

Who Was Karinska?

Most of the information available about Karinska has her birth year stated as 1886, 1887, or 1888. She was born in Russia with her real name as Varvara Jmoudsky. Somehow she came to be known as Barbara Karinska.

Growing up, Karinska became skilled with Russian embroidery technique which emphasizes using textures of rough and fine materials layered to make a “collage” of sorts. It wasn’t until Karinska was in her 40′s that she began looking for work using her sewing skills. She made her first costume when she was 40 years old, which I find fascinating. The rest is history. The biggest part of her career was spent in the costume department of the New York City Ballet. According to historical documents, Karinska died in 1983 in her late 90′s.

What Is The Karinska Decorating Method?

Karinska used multiple layers of not only fabric, but many other types of embellishments that were  built up upon one another to create color and dimensional texture.  The typical Karinska tutu decorating design would have many layers:

• The Base Layer would be satin or some other soft, flowing fabric
• After the base layer might come a layer of gold or silver tulle or netting
• After the netting layer, decorative braiding would be added to the netting
• Jewels were then added to the braiding
• On top of the decorative braiding and jewels, other embellishments were sometimes added like bows and ribbons
• The last layer would consist of a sheer over skirt.

George Balanchine Ballet And The  Jewels Ballet

Hand-sewing 20, 000 Of These? Amazing!

In 1996, George Balanchine created a ballet called Jewels. This ballet was to be a tribute to women and to the jewels they wear. The ballet has variations that focus on Emeralds, Diamonds, and Rubies. For this ballet, George Balanchine requested a Karinska reproduction.

The costume designer had to create this costume with 20,000 hand-sewn stones. Can you imagine the amount of work and time involved hand-sewing 20, 000 little stones onto a ballet costume? Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a photo of this costume, but I will keep searching.

This is the incredible part of costume designing; being able to fill the most important need in the ballet world using creativity, patience, and most of all, fingers that never seem to get tired.

Madame Karinska At The New York City Ballet Circa 1946

What Would This World Be Like Without Those Who Are Skilled With Needle And Thread?