Swarovski Crystals in Fashion Jewelry - the History

Did you know that jewelry has been present in human history for thousands of years? Besides being a means of fashion expression back then, it was also used for protection from evil spirits and bad luck and for representation of status. Today, jewelry is considered an essential accessory made specifically to complete any outfit, and that's the main reason why it will never go out of style. However, these trends can change and differ from season to season, and it's very hard to keep up with them even for experienced fashionistas and trendsetters. However, there are some designs and styles that will never go out of style and have been present for centuries. One of them is Swarovski crystals.

If you want to learn about the influence of Swarovski crystals in fashion jewelry and its history, check out our article on one of the most interesting subjects when it comes to fashion jewelry.

The Beginnings

Although now it's a part of the Czech Republic, the region of Bohemia has a very rich history when it comes to crystal craftsmanship. Back in 1862, the founder of Swarovski, Daniel Swarovski, was born in Bohemia. He was born into a family that owned a certain crystal-cutting company which was a good indicator of his future career. So, back in 1883, Daniel Swarovski founded a company that worked with jewelry, and by 1886, they had more than 70 employees and even supplied jewelry for the highest class like queen Victoria. In 1891, this now well-known man named Daniel registered a certain pattern for cutting, to be exact, a crystal cutting machine that was created by him back in 1895, then moved from Bohemia to Wattens, located in Austria, to finally begin crystal production.

Trends

Moving forward to 1911, Daniel Swarovski, alongside his family, even built their own glasswork factory and produced one of the most, if not the most, popular premium quality glass. However, in 1920 some fashion trends caused a certain surge in demand for stylish Swarovski styles and designs. Shorter hair became the "it" when it came to women's hairstyles has led Swarovski to make a crystal-embellished fabric headband which was even used for trimming clothing. And then the end of World War 2 came when the company finally founded Swarovski Optik, which used its expertise in industries like glass manufacturing to create binoculars, lenses, and even telescopes, making Swarovski one of the top competitors in precision optics. So, you can see that Swarovski, in its early history, wasn't oriented in fashion lonely but in one of the world's most prosperous industries that gave out many patents and tools to the society as we know it. Adapting to trends made Swarovski one of the most important names in fashion jewelry. If you are interested in how Swarovski became the top market industry in the jewelry industry, keep reading as we'll gladly explain it below.

Boom

Going back again to World War 2, we'll talk about why fashion experienced such a boom and started making timeless trends that are even present today. This was the time when very popular designers (even today) like Coco Channel, Christian Dior, and other world-famous Hollywood designers started to gladly recognize Swarovski crystals because they were something entirely different on the market. In 1956, the founder, Daniel Swarovski, even collaborated with Christian Dior to create the everlasting "Aurora Borealis" effect that is even used today on crystal colors. If you thought that Swarovski had humble beginnings, you're very wrong since the world's most popular designers had no trouble recognizing the company's quality. When talking about the golden era, Hollywood designers started eagerly using Swarovski Crystals in insane amounts. To explain the impact of Swarovski back then, we'll give you an example: Marylin Monroe wore crystals in the worldly famous "Gentlemen Prefer Blonds" and during her now very famous "birthday song" John F. Kennedy. Furthermore, the famous Swarovski Crystals were used for the Ruby Slippers in the "Wizards of Oz" and also made their appearance in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Sabrina." Moving forward to most recent times, in 1974, this company developed and established the Hotfix technology meaning that crystals could easily be fixed directly to fabrics and clothing without plastic or metal settings. A couple of decades later, in 1989, Swarovski replaced its original logo with the so-called Swan logo, which is used on all Swarovski packaging and storefronts globally.

Although Swarovski had a good start, to begin with, the founder and all the employees had worked hard and truly used their strength to promote Swarovski, and no wonder the name got so big that it stayed on the jewelry scene for centuries. You'd think that the modern era might've changed this, but in reality, Swarovski grew even stronger up until today, and it's still standing strong as the market's leader in jewelry.

The Modern Era

At the very beginning of the 21st century, in 2000, Swarovski created and introduced pearls with a crystal core, providing the texture, weight, and shine of an all-natural pearl combined with the everlasting quality of a Swarovski crystal. Now, Swarovski constantly partners up with architects and fashion designers to create and innovate new designs while pushing the boundaries and the capabilities of timeless crystal design. When talking about the present, Swarovski is more and more frequently going back to its roots, meaning that it is reintroducing the old Edelweiss shape as a brand new pendant for the next Fall/Winter season.

The history of Swarovski is very rich and long, and this family, and then its main representative Daniel Swarovski, gave out one of the best fashion trends in recent human history. Although some might think that sometime in the future, Swarovski will go out of style, we can easily state that Swarovski Crystals are timeless and absolutely here to stay.

We hope you had fun reading about Swarovski and its history in women's designer jewelry. Don`t forget to explore more crystal women's jewelry collections and any additional information and interests you might find interesting.