Swarovski Crystal Beads Swarovski crystal beads have been given their own category on our web site because they are unique in their quality, but also because they are sold by the piece, rather than by the strand. (We sell our Swarovski crystal beads by the dozen.) The Austrian crystal factory, Swarovski, has been producing crystal since the early part of the 20th century and remains the world leader of crystal production. Swarovski crystal is manmade, but uses natural quartz sand and other natural minerals in the production process. The specific minerals used and the amount of labor involved in the cutting determine the price of the various beads. The quality of the materials are important in the end product, but it is the polishing and cutting that sets Swarovski apart from others. While many manufacturers create crystal beads, none have yet achieved the level of precision cutting and polishing that the Austrian factory, Swarovski, offers. The sharp angles of their cuts create a higher level of light reflection than other crystal bead manufacturers. One can also often see the difference in quality at the point of the drill hole. Where Swarovski crystal beads have precision holes, other crystal beads may have chipped and sharp thread-cutting edges. However, using Swarovski crystal beads in jewelry making projects, one should give care to the stringing material selection, as the sharp angled edge of the holes can cut through thread. Use of a wire or coated steel wire, such as Beadalon, with Swarovski crystal is most likely to hold up over time longer than silk thread or even monofilament nylon. The color and style range of crystal offered by Swarovski is vast. They offer far more than a wide selection of colors and cuts, but also many different coatings to provide different light reflection effects. AB coating is the most well known. AB stands for aurora borealis and is descriptive of a reflective coating that creates all the rainbow colors on half of the bead. When the coating is applied all over the bead, it is given the term 2X. There are a number of other coatings used in the same manner but providing different color reflections, such as vitrail (green and watermelon), sahara (yellow), heliotrope (blue), comet argent light, shortened to CAL, (silver), and aurum (gold), among many others. The coating is usually applied to clear crystal, but will make the beads appear dark, as the light cannot pass through the coating. Swarovski crystal beads are a wonderful substitute for gemstone beads in jewelry making, but they are most often used for their own sake - beautiful, colorful, transparent, and sparkling jewelry components, clothing embellishment, or even home decor. In fact, Swarovski names their crystal after many gem stones, such as tourmaline, garnet, peridot, citrine, indicolite, and others. This is not done as an intention to deceive, but rather to more clearly indicate the color as being like these gemstones with the same name. Swarovski crystal jewelry supplies can provide a beautiful accent to gemstone beads or stand alone as the primary element in the jewelry making project. Crystal beads are often used as gemstone substitutes with great success. Swarovski crystal bead colors appropriate as birthstone substitutes for use in jewelry making follow:
special care: avoid impact, abrasion (especially coated beads,) harsh chemicals, high heat |
January - Siam
February - Amethyst
March - Aquamarine
April - Crystal
May - Emerald
June - Light Amethyst
July - Ruby
August - Peridot
September - Sapphire
October - Rose
November - Topaz
December - Blue Zircon