Since it was founded 100 years ago, Swarovski has firmly established itself as one of
the world's premier manufacturer of crystal stones. "Anywhere you go in the world,
you will find Swarovski," says Heddi Fitz, the company's vice president of sales and
marketing.
Today, Cranston, Rhode Island serves as Swarovski's U.S. base for jewelry design and
manufacturing, as well as the North American distribution center for stones brought over
from Europe.
The company has its roots in the late 19th century in Northern Bohemia where a cottage
industry for producing crystal stones flourished. It was into this culture that Daniel
Swarovski was born, the son of a bohemian glass cutter. He became fascinated by the unique
properties of crystal. As a teenager he apprenticed in his father's workshop and, before
he turned 20, he became engrossed with improving the technology which was driving the
industry.
In 1892, Swarovski carved a niche in manufacturing history when he perfected a process for
mechanically cutting and polishing the diamond-like stones, which came to be known as
"chatons." He received a patent on the process and later established a factory
in the remote and tiny alpine village of Wattens, Austria, to manufacture the stones.
Swarovski's early drive towards improving existing crystal technology and, at the same
time, inventing new ones, pushed the family-owned and operated business to international
success. Swarovski and its subsidiaries now produce several lines of jewelry, precision
binoculars and rifle sights, limited edition crystal collectibles, glass safety reflectors
and industrial grinding tools, in addition to the cut crystal stones it manufactures
exclusively in Austria.
Drawn by a desire to better serve its jewelry manufacturing clients, the company moved
into quarters in Providence in the mid-70s. Its executives soon learned that the area
offered a pool of skilled stone setters, so they opened a manufacturing operation in 1981.
Later, the operations were moved into larger quarters in Cranston.
Today, the company employs more than 500 people at its two Cranston locations, and
manufactures more jewelry crystals than any other firm in the world. If you own a class
ring, piece of fine costume jewelry or gemmed fashion apparel, there's a good chance those
glistening, eye-catching set crystals are Swarovski chatons.
In recent years, Swarovski has become a trend-setter in the fashion jewelry industry,
incorporating its trademark stones into its own distinctive broaches, rings, bracelets and
earrings. A team of five designers work out of Rhode Island, creating new pieces for the
American mass-market. The most exquisite pieces from Rhode Island and the other design
locations are displayed at the four seasonal Paris fashion shows every year.
When developing new product lines, Swarovski engineers work in tandem with artists to
achieve the most dazzling results. It is the effect crystal has on light, refracting it so
that it casts splinters of rainbows around a room, that enchants people. Using
computer-assisted design programs, engineers help the artists to find the most evocative
way of cutting the crystal.
Swarovski Silver Crystal, a line of decorative gift items, which includes a menagerie of
crystal animals, began when a Swarovski designer, experimenting with chandelier components
and a new adhesive, crafted a crystal mouse. Aware of a good idea when it presented
itself, the company began designing a whole range of animals -- now made from cut-to-order
crystals rather than existing components -- and a new business took off.
In 1987 the company established the Swarovski Collector's Society to serve the quarter of
a million people worldwide who are devotees of the gift items. The line of artfully
crafted cut-crystal objects d' art ranging from delicately petit flower vases to an
engaging set of chess pieces is called Swarovski Selection.
By understanding the properties of light and the way it reacts with crystal, Swarovski's
son, Wilhelm, built his first prototype binoculars in 1935. This addition to the company's
product line helped keep it alive through the difficult climate of World War II, when
defense contracts were needed to sustain the company's business. Today, Swarovski Optik is
a brand of choice among avid bird-watchers, sailors and marksmen.
The understanding of light's innate characteristics also led to the inception of Swareflex
safety reflectors. On highways throughout the world, these strips of crystal mounted in a
plastic base resist weather and wear and allow motorists to see the road more clearly at
night.
Quality craftsmanship
In all product lines, Swarovski craftsmen emphasize quality. At her office in Cranston,
Fitz explained that quality is ingrained into the company culture. Swarovski has succeeded
in the past --and will continue to do so in the future-- by setting high standards and
then meeting them, she says.
"There could be no Swarovski without quality," says Fitz, and 100 years of
history bears her out.