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The secrets of jewelry made from Swarovski crystals encompass the selection, the wearing and the caring of the jewelry.
But, first a bit of history. What makes Swarovski crystals so special and why is everyone so nuts for them? In 1892 Daniel Swarovski developed a machine to precision cut the crystal, his family had been manually cutting for over 30 years. In 1995, the crystal cutting was elevated to an even higher level of precision with computer technology. With each enhancement of the cutting precision, the optically pure crystals captured and reflected more and more of the available light surrounding them. Today Swarovski crystals are recognized to be the very finest crystals made. When used to make jewelry, the crystals bring reflected, often rainbow colored light to jewelry.

Jewelry Selection

Secret 1 – Some Swarovski crystals change color depending on the light. There are two translucent colors; alexandrite (turns blue or purple), and cantaloupe (turns pink to blue to green). Clear crystals with an aurora borealis coating change color very subtly and will pick up the color of clothing near them.

Secret 2 – A few Swarovski crystal colors will look great on a display but will appear to vanish when you place them next to fair colored skin. Examples of this are: light rose, and gold shadow. This is caused by the fact that the crystal color is too close to fair skin color so that there is not enough contrast to be show the crystal off.

So, what does this mean? Do you need to know the name of the color of the crystals before you can buy jewelry made from Swarovski crystals? Nah. Just be sure to try the pieces on and to view them in various light before purchasing something no refundable. What appears to be the right color under the store lights may look very different in other light.

Secret 3 – While you are checking the color under various lights, also take note of the individual crystals themselves. Check for chips on the edges, cracks and broken or missing crystals. This type of damage interrupts the way the light reflects off the jewelry piece. Secret 4 – What looks very artful on the display may look unappealing when tried on. This secret would seem to apply to all jewelry, but for some reason, people have been fooled most often by jewelry made from Swarovski crystals. This may be because Swarovski crystals require light to glow and flow into a design. When the piece is on the display, it may have enough light passing through it but when it is on a human form, the light is not flowing across the crystals the same way. When purchasing jewelry as a gift make sure your recipient will be able to return the piece if it fails to deliver the “wow factor”.

Secret 5 – So, now you have tried your piece on and it looks sensational. Guess what? It may not be the right piece for the outfit you need jewelry for. This happens most often to brides who are selecting pieces to complement their wedding gowns. More often than not, the piece, although gorgeous, just does not compliment the wedding gown. Separately they are wonderful, but together? Blah. So, trying on the jewelry on WITH the wedding gown or special dress, before finalizing the jewelry is imperative! Look for a jewelry artist who will make this easy for you by providing a large dressing room or permitting you to take the jewelry home on loan for a day or two.

Crystal Jewelry Care With a little attention, you can avoid all the damage Swarovski crystals are vulnerable to: • The points and corners can chip • The entire bead can shatter if dropped on something hard like a ceramic floor • The coating can rub off. This can happen to foil coated beads as well as beads coated with an aura borealis finish.

The best way to protect your beads is to: • Put on your jewelry after you have used hair spray, not before! • Store your crystals so that they don’t rub or bang against each other.

So now you know the five secrets of crystal jewelry selection, plus how to care for your Swarovski crystal jewelry. Enjoy the finest crystals ever made while they reflect rainbow light on your face and make you look and feel glorious!