This is one of a pair of ear rings I bought in Poland. It is just under 1 cm across. I thought they were so beautiful, and I just had to buy them.
Specs.:
Camera Model Canon EOS 400D DIGITAL
Shooting Date/Time 24.12.2010 11:48:23
Shooting Mode Flash Off(Never fires.)
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/6
Av( Aperture Value ) 5.0
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
ISO Speed 400
Lens EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal Length 38.0 mm
History:
Daniel Swarovski (October 24, 1862 ??? January 23, 1956) was born in northern Bohemia (now the Czech Republic). His father was a glass cutter who owned a small glass factory. It was there that a young Swarovski served an apprenticeship, becoming skilled in the art of glass-cutting. In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of crystal glass.[3][4]
In 1895, Swarovski financier Armand Kosman and Franz Weis founded the Swarovski company, originally known as A. Kosmann, Daniel Swarovski & Co, which was later shortened to K.S. & Co.[5] The company established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens, Tyrol (Austria), to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes Daniel Swarovski patented.[3][6]
Products
The Swarovski Crystal range includes crystal glass sculptures and miniatures, jewelry and couture, home decor and chandeliers.
All sculptures are marked with a logo. The original Swarovski logo was an edelweiss flower, which was replaced by a "S.A.L." logo, which was finally replaced with the current swan logo in 1988.[7] The swan logo is being phased out in favor of simply the Swarovski name.
To create crystal glass that lets light refract in a rainbow spectrum, Swarovski coats some of its products with special metallic chemical coatings. Aurora Borealis, or "AB," is one of the most popular coatings, and gives the surface a rainbow appearance.[8] Other coatings are named by the company, Crystal Transmission, Volcano, Aurum, and Dorado. Coatings may be applied to only part of an object; others are coated twice, and thus are designated AB 2X, Dorado 2X etc.
In 2004 Swarovski released Xilion, a copyrighted cut designed to optimise the brilliance of Roses (components with flat backs) and Chatons (diamond cut).
The Swarovski Group also includes Tyrolit (makers of abrasive and cutting tools); Swareflex (reflective and luminous road markings); Signity (synthetic and natural gemstones); and Swarovski Optic (optical instruments such as binoculars and rifle scopes).
The company runs a crystal-themed indoor theme park, Swarovski Kristallwelten (Crystal Worlds) at its original Wattens site (near Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria). The Crystal Worlds centre is fronted by a grass-covered head, the mouth of which is a fountain. The grass-covered Crystal Worlds houses exhibitions related to, or inspired by, the crystals ??? but do not include explanations of how the famous designs are made, produced or finished.