The passion of Crystals
Published On: 11-14-2011 02:07am
Comments: 0 - Hits: 20
Category: What is?
I find it interesting that most high end molded benchwork jewelry stores, such as Zales, tends to have absolutely no knowledge of what Swarovski crystal beads are! Once in a while, they will have one or two employees that know about the figurines, but for the most part, they only know about diamonds and gemstones. I have even run into some that have never heard of Swarovski crystal.
Crazy, huh! Who doesn't love Swarovski crystal. And on a second turn, what in the world is the difference between glass crystal, german crystal and Swarovski crystal. You can ask almost any Swarovski crystal fan and they can tell you all about it!
Glass crystal, is just that, faceted glass. German crystal is still primarily just glass made from quartz. Swarovski crystal is an entirely different crystal! A very brilliant and reflective lead crystal that has a stronger resistance to scratching and chipping than other glass crystals. Swarovski has a serious high standard that keeps many of us as sellers at bay. They are very select when it comes to who they allow to sell their crystals.
Here are some comparisons between diamonds, crystals and cubic zirconia. Diamonds are usually natural gemstones that have an incredible hardness. The name comes from a greek word meaning "unbreakable". It is an allotrope of carbon and a face-centered cubic crystal which have a strong covalent bonding between its atoms. Diamonds have the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of all the gemstones.
Cubic zirconia is very similar to diamonds in that it is also a cubic crystal, an excellent thermal conductor and durable. But it is not "unbreakable". This is man made material, zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) is not naturally occuring. So a lab replicated diamond is accually a cubic ziconia.
Swarovski crystal is a much softer material but with an element of lead to bring brilliance. There is not risk of lead poisoning with these crystals. The composition is a Swarovski family secret and patented. You will aways know a Swarovski from Celestial Chinese crystal because the irridesence comes from within and not from a coating on the back of a crystal like celestial crystal. Any coating that Swarovski may have is lazer plated to the crystal and takes many years to wear. It is much clearer and the most cost effective of all three. Swarovski has a lifetime guarantee on all of their crystals making them choice. You can read more on Swarovski crystal and how the family has kept it a secret for over 100 years!
