Golf Wine Stopper

History

Daniel Swarovski (1862-1956) was an Austrian glass cutter and jeweler born in Bohemia (currently the Czeck Republic). In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of lead crystal glass jewelry.

In 1895 Swarovski, financier Armand Kosman, and Franz Weis founded the Swarovski company. The company established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens, Switzerland, to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes which Daniel Swarovski had patented.

Products

Swarovski crystal contains approximately 32% lead to maximize refraction. The Swarovski crystal range includes crystal sculptures and miniatures, jewelry and couture, home decor, and chandeliers.

In order to create a crystal that allows light to refract in a rainbow spectrum, Swarovski coats some of its crystals with special metallic chemical coatings. Aurora Borealis, or "AB", is one of the most popular coatings.

The company also sells beads and rhinestones for use by manufacturers, artists and consumers in their designs. This product brand is known as Crystallized-Swarovski Elements.

In popular culture

In 2004, Swarovski created the 9' diameter, 550 lbs. star that tops the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City for the first of five consecutive years.

Swarovski was also a sponsor for The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film), in which the "standing model" of the chandelier was composed of Swarovski crystals. A Swarovski shop window is also visible later in the film.