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The Other Crystal: You Mean, There is Life Beyond Swarovski??? |
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Written by Dara Spiotto
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Monday, 07 January 2008 |
You Mean, There is Life Beyond Swarovski???We’re not going to use the “S” word here. You know who I’m talking about. So mums the word, and instead we’ll chat about the other crystal floating into our lives, from the vintage yummies to the current stuff. Sit down, get comfy, here we go…
My all-time favorite old crystal, other than the “S” stuff, is Bohemian crystal. The colors are luscious, the beads are gorgeous and I can’t get enough of it. Sometimes I can find it in antique stores or estate sales, and I scoop it up. For this bead, my favorites are the red, purple and blue, which for me is odd since I’m a sucker for any green and must have that, too. Brown, amber and clear are more commonly found colors. I usually gravitate to earth tone colors as opposed to bright stuff, so I’m grateful to have a good stash of this stuff in a large color pallet .
 You know, Swarovski’s family originates from Bohemia. Oh, damn. I said I wasn’t going to mention them. Anyway, there was crystal being produced there by native Bohemians as early as the late 18th century, and although it was first used for home décor like chandeliers, jewelry soon followed suit. Here’s a little bit about the history of Bohemia…
Bead Ambition at its BestBohemia is part of an historical region in central Europe, located in the western two thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, and is currently known as the Czech Republic. Beads have been made there since Roman times, but really took off in the 1550’s. Bohemia and Venice have been fiercely competitive since the early 19th century, and when bead making developed into a good momentum, it only fueled the feud. The Czech bead makers decided to try something risky that would help catapult their beads into demand and expand the bead market, thus squashing the competition. They sent “sample men” (mostly local villagers and peasants)  out into other countries to ask what kind of beads they’d like to have. They used sketch books and drew out the ideas with descriptive detail, and brought them back to their home factories to begin producing. It was a brilliant, monumental success. Up until then, both countries had been producing very similar styles of beads, but now the Czech were venturing off on their own. They began to pioneer their own style, many of which they still produce today.
Industrial innovation in the 19th century brought new machines that could mass produce identical beads in a fast and inexpensive way. While Italy still focused on hand made beads, the Czech became masters of pressed glass. Each cottage was given several precise molds and made beads to order for their local glass factories. Today many cottage crafters are still going strong, creating beads that their families have continued to make for decades or more.
In the 19th century, wars and depressions nearly destroyed the bead industry all together. By the 1950’s it was on its way to recovery and today the Czech Republic is chugging out beads as fast as they can, giving the rest of the world a good healthy dose of competition. I mean, who doesn’t love Czech glass? That faceted little round is the Czech version of the crystal. They found their niche and they’re sticking with it.
 Crystal for Everyone
There’s crystal being produced in China today, as well. They’re pretty tight lipped on the history of how its come to be, in fact, all my searches on the web turned up zilch. But I chatted with some store owners, and those that carry it really like it. The Chinese have their own cuts, and they’re using a lead base for their crystal. These are pretty crystal beads that can fit into anyone’s purse restrictions. However, once you hold it up against that “S” company’s crystal, you can tell right away that there is no comparison. Chinese crystal has a more common color range available. The colors of the “S” place are unique to their company, and they can get those colors because of the high lead content. Swarovski (Oh, damn… I did it again!) used 32% lead in their crystal, the highest of any crystal producing companies to date. That means their glass is extremely hard, so much that when cut the edges are crisp and precise and will stay that way. It also gives the beads a luster and prismatic shine that is off the charts! Chinese crystal is made with a much lower amount of lead, so the beads are softer. With constant wear the Chinese crystal will have softer edges, and in years to come will look like Czech fire polished glass. Is that any reason not to buy it?? Heck, no! I say get some. It's pretty, affordable and different. But don’t stop buying the “S” stuff. There isn’t anything in the world nicer.
 Crystal-schmistal. Just kidding. I really adore the stuff. A Mt. McKinley sized stash is overflowing from my bead case. They say you can’t take it with you, but I plan to. Just put me in my stash box and pile on all the beads. I want to be the King Tut of the bead world. What am I saying?? Some lunatic beader could loot me. Forget I said all that. :-) Sparkle on!
Resources...http://www.harlequinbeads.com/cgi-bin/beads/library/article.html?article=LIB00066
Beads An Exploration of Bead Traditions Around the World by Janet Coles and Robert Budwig
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