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Swarovski® Crystal Colors
HOW TO ENSURE YOU ARE GETTING GENUINE SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS
Swarovski®
(Swore-off-ski) crystal components are regarded as the highest quality machine
cut and polished crystal beads in the world. The demand for luxury products
unfortunately can create a host of imitators. The imitators are all over the
Internet and at every bead show that we have visited.
The Swarovski® company creates its glass with a special compound that imitators
cannot duplicate. This special compound creates the incredible brilliance of
their product. The delicate color palette is another quality that sets
Swarovski® crystal components apart from others.
With so many crystal beads and components out there, how can you tell if the
crystal you are purchasing is actually a Swarovski® crystal component....or an
imitation?
Here are some tips that can help you determine which crystals are genuine:
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Swarovski® crystals are generally
not strung when offered for sale.
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Look for the original Swarovski®
packaging. Dependant on size, the bulk packages will range from 10 gross to
1/2 gross, in well-branded, sealed envelopes. The newest Swarovski® bulk
packaging is sealed with an authenticated silver toned hologram saying "CRYSTALIZED."
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Swarovski® crystals are perfectly
uniform. Since they are machine cut, each crystal is the same. This means that
the height, width and slope are consistent. A hand polished imitator bead will
not have as uniform a cut. You may also notice different dimensions from bead
to bead.
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Swarovski® uses machinery that
precisely cuts each crystal. According to Swarovski®, "cutting hard materials
such as crystal and gems, in such a way that they have a hundred identical
facets in several directions, is a very complicated task; each direction of
the reflected light must first be calculated by computer, then this has to be
simulated in 3D, optimized and finally converted into control programs for
complex machinery." This is just part of the technology that gives Swarovski®
crystals their unbelievable flash.
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The precision cutting of Swarovski®
machinery allows each crystal to have its facet juncture "pointing up". This
means the facet junctures all meet at precisely the same point. This is a
similar aspect of diamond faceting. See the illustration above.
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AB finish Swarovski® crystals have a
uniform surface luster. There are no swirling marks from the vacuum process
that produces the AB finish, and generally there are no scratches. The
"imitations" often have scratches, swirl marks ("oily" looking surface). Some
of these imperfections, in the "imposters", have to do with the lower quality
of the finish. See the illustration above.
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When you look inside the crystal,
you will see no bubbles. If you see any bubbles, you know immediately that it
is a fake.
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Because of its special glass
compounds, Swarovski® crystal will out-sparkle a bead of lesser quality when
placed in a side-by-side comparison.
SWAROVSKI ® CRYSTALS
COLOR CHART
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Jewelry
by Didi
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