SWAROVSKI is a name that denotes high quality, and has for decades. They started their line of jewelry in 1977 but long before that, in the late 1880s, they were famous for their innovative crystal cutting techniques. They were pioneers of high quality, high lead content crystals whose brilliance and clarity was unmatched, and were respected for their crystal lenses, ornaments and rhinestones. They had an established name long before they ever made a single piece of finished jewelry.
Daniel Swarovski was the founder of the company and he was born in Northern Bohemia in 1862. It was a large jewelry center at that time, but in about 1895 he moved to Austria, where the company headquarters remains today. The 4th and 5th generation of the family still runs the company, and the quality is still unsurpassed. Beginning in about 1977 they started their own line of costume jewelry. By 1989 their makers mark was the Swarovski swan logo. Just below these paragraphs are some of the jewelry marks that were used over the years.
From the late 1980s to about 2000 they also made jewelry with the "SAVVY" name, which was a smaller scale and lower priced line. The "Savvy" pieces were often marked with the swan logo though, and the name "Savvy" was seen only on earring cards or tags and not on the jewelry itself, as far as I can remember. "SAL" was another earlier Swarovski jewelry mark, along with the Edelweiss flower, which I understand it was used from 1977-1988. Those two marks were on the jewelry itself. The Daniel Swarovski line started in 1989 and it includes accessories such as hand bags, too. The earlier "DSCo" is not to be confused with the later "Daniel Swarovski" high end lines.
I can remember standing in front of their cases in Saks, Neimans and Nordstrom and just marveling at the quality and brilliance of all the pieces. I have some treasured pieces in my own collection, mementos of some of the high spots in my life. Another respected friend and jewelry researcher, Elizabeth, has helped me research the marks and when they were used, for which I am so grateful. But I am always seeking more information. I would like to understand more about the Daniel Swarovski Couture line, for instance, when exactly it was made and what jewelry pieces it included. Some of my favorite Swarovski jewelry was made in the 1990s when larger more colorful pieces were made. Morning Glory was a Swarovski dealer for several years back then, as well as representing Ciner jewelry. A Swarovski flyer from the 1990s states, "... we insist on crafting every piece of jewelry by hand... it must first pass from hand to hand through a long and rigorous process... featuring brilliant Austrian crystals... each piece in the collection is hand polished front and back." According to the company, every one of their jewelry pieces is marked without exception. Until early 2006, Swarovski sold their jewelry in better department stores and boutiques. After that they opened their own stores, which still thrive today.
Do beware of fakes and buy from a knowledgeable dealer. There was at least one Asian company making copies of some of the Swarovski pieces back in the late 1990s, but while there were decent copies, the ones I saw were not signed. There are also Christmas tree brooches made to look like Swarovski trees being made in Asia, but again, not signed and in this case much lower in quality.
To purchase SWAROVSKI JEWELRY please click HERE.
For our gallery of marks and many pieces of Swarovski Jewelry from the 1970s to the present, please click HERE.
And we will have more Swarovski jewelry coming over the next month. |
SWAROVSKI fashioned some of the best and most collectible Christmas brooches ever made, especially during the 1990s. While it is fun to try to date them, we do understand that Swarovski did not always "retire" their jewelry pieces annually like they do their crystal figurines, so unless they are marked, at least some of these dates are estimates only. They should be correct within a year or two anyway.
Using their high quality crystals and finishes, these pieces also have some wonderful enamel work and designs. Swarovski used to make tree brooches annually for different locations (Nordstrom, Rockefeller Center, etc) as well as for general sale, and some were even dated on the back.
If you would enjoy adding some of this wonderful to your own collection you can purchase by clicking HERE.
To enjoy our gallery of SWAROVSKI holiday jewelry, click HERE.
And for whats new on Morning Glory this week, click HERE.
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