Swarovski Crystal history

Daniel Swarovski grew up in a family of craftsmen and apprenticed in his father’s factory, where they produced glass and crystal. At the age of 21, he visited an electrical exhibition in Vienna. Keep in mind this was the late 1800s and electricity was a new and fascinating invention. He saw inventions by Siemens and Edison at the exhibition that led him to patent a machine that could cut and grind crystal many times faster and precise than the old world tradition of dressing and smoothing crystals by hand.

In 1895, along with his brother-in-law and a friend, Swarovski set up a factory in Wattens in the Austrian Alps, where there was adequate water sources to power the machinery and yet far enough away from competitors who may try to copy their process. The location in Wattens was on a good trade route to Paris, where the demand for high fashion crystal jewelry and stones was great.

By 1913 Swarovski’s sons had joined the company and developed the perfect formula for producing flawless sparkling crystal. Swarovski became known the world over for fabulous sparkling chandeliers that graced the halls and castles of the rich and famous worldwide.

Swarovski Optik was founded in 1948 after Daniels oldest son Wilhelm developed a pair of binoculars just before World War II. A whole new production line was developed to make precision optical instruments such as telescopes, binoculars and the like. This line was sold under the Habicht name.

By the middle of the 20th century, Swarovski was a worldwide brand. Their high quality crystals were everywhere in haute couture as well as showing up in James Bond movies and in the homes of celebrities and kings. In 1974, one of their designers named Max Schreck accidentally created one of the most beloved and collected product lines.

Max took a broken teardrop shaped crystal from a chandelier and affixed other tiny broken pieces to fashion a mouse, and an entire line of crystal animal figurines was born! The company will celebrate its 110-year anniversary in 2015 and there are many websites devoted to the history and collectibles of Swarovski. Their crystals come in all shapes and sizes.

Keep your eyes open for these treasures when you are out at the yard sales, estate sales and thrift shops. You never know what you will find!

Happy Collecting!

Jillinda Falen has been buying and selling antiques for over 30 years. She is a licensed REALTOR and estate liquidation specialist. You can contact her via email at jcfalen@gmail.com or through the Houston Home Journal.

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