Guest Author - Susan Dorling

Austrian crystals seem to have a magic aura all their own. In fact, Austrian crystals are among the most important energy conductors used in Feng Shui, the ancient system which teaches appropriate placement of objects to bring the integral aspects of our lives into focus and balance. Used in prism form for this purpose, Austrian crystals fill the room with a kaleidoscope of colorful rainbows which purportedly clear blockages and enable the effective flow of energy which is called ‘chi’ in Chinese.

Standouts in the world of jewelry, Austrian crystal’s dazzling beauty is breathtaking. One of my favorite designers of Austrian crystal jewelry is Kirks Folly. They use Swarovski crystals exclusively, fashioned into an array of stunning pieces from brooches to necklaces and hair accessories. Last November I had the pleasure of attending the Kirks Folly Annual Factory Sale in Providence, Rhode Island and as it was just before Christmas, I did some of my Christmas shopping at the sale.

Well, my glittering Kirks Folly gifts to my Mom and niece, Jamey, were met with excitement and awe at how anything could be so incredibly sparkly and beautiful. My Mom’s bracelet is a rather classic piece with just the right measure of sparkle for her. But Jamey’s giant butterfly hair barrette is simply amazing and powerful enough to work like crazy for this dynamic young lady who trains racehorses for a living and just turned 22! The sparkle on this baby goes on forever, and is owed to a special process developed by Swarovski many years ago called Aurora Borealis or in Swarovski lingo, AB. It’s a surface coating applied to plain non-coated crystals, and lately colored crystals as well, which makes the crystal explode into a magnificent prismatic display of color. Jamey’s jewel-encrusted butterfly literally dances with its intense glitter and striking aurora borealis color even though no light passes through it. Another designer I like very much, Xuelan Hou of LanLan Design, also uses Swarovski crystals in her work which has been featured at Fashion Jewelry at BellaOnline.

Even without the AB coating, regular Swarovski crystals have a 32 percent lead content which results in its exceedingly high refractive index which allows brilliant sharp colors to be refracted back to the viewer through a prism which intensifies both color and fire. But with the AB, the effect is something to behold.

Swarovski Strauss is certainly the most well-known and highly respected Austrian crystal manufacturer and has garnered their share of the spotlight—sported regularly in a myriad of jewelry and fashion accessory forms by the glitterati of the world. But there are others including Lalique who also manufacture a high quality and rather less celebrated crystal product. Manufacturers of leaded glass crystal are found in many places in addition to Austria, including Germany, The Czech Republic, Egypt, and other countries. Like Swarovski, many of these companies got their start in leaded crystal house wares and décor like chandeliers and stemware, then morphed into specialized cut crystal and crystal beads specifically for the jewelry market. It just may have begun by chance when some creative soul thinking outside the box, decided to mount a chandelier piece as a pendant, brooch, or earrings, and discovered to their surprise how much pizzazz a piece of fine cut crystal could lend to the fine art of personal adornment.

In addition to clear bodied Austrian crystals there are a wide array of colors available. Coloring agents produce vivid reds, blues, violets, rich browns, yellows, greens, and other lovely colors. Recently, as mentioned, Swarovski has begun adding Aurora Borealis to colored crystals with great dramatic effect as each color is intensified to the degree that it seems to jump right out of the crystals quickly at different viewing angles.

The Swarovski success story is legendary in the world of jewelry. Their imagination and passion for excellence has earned them a solid position as the top Austrian crystal producer in the world. In 1995 the company celebrated its 100th anniversary by building a spectacular theme park, Swarovski Crystal World (‘Kristallwelton’) in Watterns, close to Innsbruck. Designed by artist, Andre Heller, this exceptional monument to a wildly successful business is filled with gorgeous labyrinths, waterworks, spectacular lighting effects, and tons of sparkle, of course!

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