THE MAGIC OF SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL.

When I design and make jewelry for my company House Of Joris Jewelry, I use many different supplies available. My favorite are vintage supplies, they seem to be much more durable then modern supplies. Also, vintage supplies and jewelry are just gorgeous. And there is one staple supply I always go to and always will, and that is the crystal jewels, beads, drops, crystal pearls and whatever else I can find, vintage or new, made by Swarovski.

Pink Cockatoos, Swarovski crystal figurine.

I use some Swarovski jewels that were made in the 1920's. There is no scratch, no scrap off the jewel and it sparkles like it was just made yesterday. This is no lie, Swarovski's secret ways of cutting crystal glass is the best around and can't be imitated. The crystal pearls are beautiful too. And there are ways to see whether you are dealing with the real thing or an imitation. 

The Swarovski Company is huge these days, famous allover the world, but it started from very humble beginnings.

Daniel Swarovski (24 October 1862 – 23 January 1956) was a Czech-born Austrian. He was born in Georgenthal bei Gablonz. His father, Franz Anton Swarovski, was a glass cutter and Swarovski first learned the art in his father's small factory. Later he was educated in Paris and Vienna, where he met Frantisek Krizik, and became interested in electricity at the 1883 Electricity Exhibition in Vienna.

Daniel Swarovski.

In 1887, Daniel Swarovski married Marie Weis, the sister of his business partner Franz Weis, and they had three sons: Fritz, Alfred and Wilhelm.

In 1892, he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of lead crystal glass jewelry, which until then had to be cut by hand. 
In 1895, he immigrated to Austria and partnered with Armand Kosman and Franz Weis to form "A. Kosmann, D. Swarovski & Co." They built a crystal-cutting factory in Wattens, Tyrol, to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes.

Daniel's vision was to use crystal to create "a diamond for everyone", and his pioneering spirit brought his beautifully cut crystal to Hollywood in the 1950's. His spirit and innovations help the Swarovski Company continue their mission today.

She may have sung 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend', but those show-stopping jewels worn by Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film's iconic cabaret scene are none other than Swarovski crystals. 
Swarovski crystals also adorn many of the other opulent costumes and jewelry for Marilyn's character, Lorelei. In one of her most iconic moments, 
Marilyn Monroe serenades President JFK with a sultry rendition of "Happy Birthday" at Madison Square Garden, wearing a Jean Louis-designed sheer,
flesh-colored dress that she was literally sewn into.

                        

                    

In 1956, Manfred, son of founder Daniel Swarovski, began working with Christian Dior on a new crystal that encapsulated Dior's creative vision. Aurora Borealis (AB) became its name, and the rest was history. He came up with a micro-thin layer of vaporized blue metal, with which he coated crystals' lower facets. This coating of the crystals was so popular, there are still many jewelry sets from the 1950's around and almost all of them are Aurora Borealis crystals. Light blue crystal with the AB coating was especially popular. It was named Ice Blue.

The Swarovski Company is headquartered in Wattens, Austria. The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, that primarily  produces crystal jewelry and accessories; Swarovski Optik, which produces optical instruments such as telescopes, telescopic sights for rifles, and binoculars; and Tyrolit, a manufacturer of grinding, sawing, drilling, and dressing tools, as well as a supplier of tools and machines.

Sara Necklace, © House Of Joris Jewelry. Made with Swarovski AB crystals (bicones, round beads and a baroque pendant), Swarovski pearls, brass chain and a freshwater flat bronze pearl set in a brass vintage stamping.

Today, Swarovski Crystal Business is the highest grossing business unit with a global reach of approximately 2,800 stores in around 176 countries, more than 27,000 employees and a revenue of about 2.6 billion Euros.

Do You Follow The Herd, Or Do You Dare To Be Original (Read: Be Yourself) And Light Up That Inner Beauty!

I became a jewelry designer without trying to be one. My lovely younger sister Wendy gave birth, way to early, to a little boy that weighed one pound. The months following his birth were very difficult, a few times we thought she might lose her son. But guess what... after 3 months in the incubator, she brought home a healthy, beautiful boy, and named him Joris. He is doing fantastic!

Joris, one week old, weighing one pound

Wendy's birthday was coming up and I wanted to celebrate both events by giving her something special. I had made a drawing of a design I wanted a jeweler to make for me in silver. This was early summer 2010. Recession had taken my job and I could not afford the price of a silver design. So I decided to make a necklace myself, with a locket for his picture on one side and my design drawing at the other. It became a 2-part necklace, one with colored beads, the other silver with charms. The supplies I had found all over town in different stores, and I was amazed at what was available, a whole new world opened up for me.
 

Wendy & Joris, Valentine's Day 2015

All the people that got to see my very first necklace, told me that it was a really beautiful piece, that I had talent and that I should make jewelry for a living. Since there were no other job prospects at the horizon at that time, I jumped in. I spent my savings on supplies and started making jewelry. It was hard at first, I couldn't really find my 'voice' but when I discovered a fantastic supply store, I got a lot closer to the designs I wanted to make. 

I opened my store, House Of Joris Jewelry, on Etsy in October 2010, having made 25 jewelry designs. Etsy was still cool in 2010/2011, they weren't overrun by thousands of jewelry stores and they weren't the corporate giant yet that they are now. Within a few months I sold pretty good and I loved my newly discovered passion. 

Coco, my first pair of earrings!

My first wholesale account came November, 2012. I was on a roll, but in January of 2013 I had an accident and was told I couldn't work for about a year. This was a real tough year. But later in 2014, I started making a new jewelry inventory and tried another way of doing business. I took the jewelry off-line and went to the very popular South Congress Market, here in Austin, and at that market, I learned a lot about people. And I also learned that I need to get back online and get my store and web presence, back in order.

The South Congress market has about 70% jewelry vendors, lots of competition you think of course. But then, as you browse around and check out your fellow jewelry vendors, you notice something. And that something is that all these jewelry vendors are selling the exact same thing! Pieces that are trendy right now, and oh yeah, it sells! Right now, on trend, the layering necklaces, with delicate charms and the long necklaces with the slice of stone. The friendship bracelets and the leather wrap arounds. The large cocktail rings and the bangles. 

I mean, it is all the same stuff and people are lining up to buy it, while the same people would come to my tables and compliment me on everything I make, touching it and trying it on, looking gorgeous, I could see the appreciation in their eyes, then the hesitation, one more turn around to the stand with the trendy jewelry and with a sigh they would put my handmade jewelry back on the table.

Siren Bracelet

But then, every now and then, there she will come. Walking straight to my tables and trying on the things she likes. Elegant, confident woman, who loves to express her inner beauty and is not afraid to be different, or to stand out. She loves and celebrates being an individual with her own individual taste. She knows what looks good on her.

You know this type of woman, the one when she walks through the door, everybody notices her. And this woman would 9 out of 10 times buy at least 5 or 6 pieces of my jewelry. Not only because it is different and beautiful, but also because she is secure, knowing that if something breaks or goes wrong, she can come back to me and I will fix it, no extra charge, even if it has been 3 months (not that this happens often, just once actually).

Josephine's Amethyst Earrings

You see, I make almost exclusively OOAK pieces. For the ones who are not familiar with that term, it stands for one-of-a-kind piece. I say about 80% of my collection is OOAK. And I use quality materials, for crystals always Swarovski or vintage Czech, gemstones are grade AA or AAA, for plated chains, it is brass as a base metal, no lead or nickel. Pearls are vintage or Swarovski. Earwires are almost exclusively leverback earwires, and so on.

When I start working, I usually don't have the design in my head, it is my hands that lead me and start something all on their own and then my head catches up. And then it is so exciting to see the end result. I truly love making my jewelry.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not judging here, there is nothing wrong with wanting to follow the trends, playing it safe and wear what everyone else is wearing. Who am I to tell you what to wear? It is just that I see so often that longing in a woman's eyes, as she picks up the shoulder grazing Swarovski earrings, knowing they would look stunning in her ears. Why don't you? Why don't you go ahead and buy what you think is beautiful, not because it is trendy and everyone wears it. Why have fear, fear of other people, of what they say perhaps.

Bliss Necklace, all Swarovski and grade AA pearls

I tell you what, if you wear a piece of jewelry in a color that you love, a unique piece that is timeless and you wear it with confidence, you know, you feel that it looks good on you. 

When you do that, you are more in fashion and more on trend then all the women in line at the 'trendy' jewelry stand, all buying the same thing. You will be admired for just being you, yourself and nobody else. Because really, nothing is more sexy then being self-confident!