Category: Kristall Buzz

Swarovski Crystal – Decorating a Bald Head

My daughter used to be a competitive dancer, and I remember those weekends we’d spend, just before competition season started, stoning the dance costumes with Swarovski crystal flatback stones.  We used a strong bonding material to ensure that those $30 – $50 of Swarovski crystal stones would stay on the costumes until the conclusion of Dance Nationals.

Apparently, there are more uses for those Swarovski flatback stones than clothing, accessories, and dance costumes.  Philip Levine uses them on his head!  At the age of 29, he’s now a ‘head artist’.  In the picture, he can be seen with his bald head covered in 1,000 Swarovski crystal stones.

Bald Head

The stones appear to be Crystal CAL, perhaps 30mm in size.  It would be interesting to see him add designs and pictures integrating some of the other Swarovski crystal flatback stones using different colors and sizes of the crystal giant’s offerings.

The web site AmazingOnly.com shows some of the other creations that Philip Levine has worn.  One source indicated that most head designs only last a day or two, so some of these designs would be quite expensive.  Another source indicated that this head artist has a dream to some day open a salon for ‘head styles’ rather than ‘hair styles’.

It is wonderful to see Philip Levine embrace his baldness in such a unique way.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Certificate of Authenticity (COA) changes in 2011

Since 1976, Swarovski has generally included a Swarovski Certificate inside the packaging for the majority of crystal figurines. While the paperwork does indeed state certificate on the front side, it served a purpose of advertising other Swarovski crystal figurines in production at that time.  When Swarovski moved away from the octagonal-shaped literature, the ‘certificate’ no longer featured product photos.  All along, these Swarovski certificates were very interchangeable among products, keeping in mind the production eras of the various figurines.

Swarovski Certificates / Generic Product Booklets 1976 to 2010

In 2011, Swarovski has made changes to the paperwork (Swarovski COA) included the crystal figurines. In the last couple of purchases, I have not found any blue certificate, red certificate, or white certificate.  Instead, I find a card labeled Certificate of Authenticity (in both English and French) on the front side, and on the backside, a reference number, date of purchase, and initials of order fulfillment person. I have found only a single card for a multiple unit purchase, not one card per item.  The card is about 3.25 inches long and is enclosed in a pearlized envelope with the word Swarovski in Silver foil on the front.  Plus, in the envelope is a ‘care advice’ booklet.  This booklet includes brief advice on caring for ‘fashion jewelry and watches’, ‘handbags and accessories’, and the ‘crystal living collection’.  This Care Advice booklet is printed in both English and French.

Swarovski COA 2011

Swarovski does continue to include unique certificates for Swarovski AE figurines. The Swarovski Siku Polar Bear has a certificate specific to the 2011 SCS crystal figurine.  It does not use the newer Swarovski COA and care advice unit described above.

It is possible that the Swarovski certificate may be a cost-savings (every penny counts these days).  It could be that this personally-dated card is used to validate a warranty period.  It may be speculated that this may be a technique to close the loop on grey-market purchases…no card…no warranty support.  In any case, it is becoming more important to purchase current products online or from an authorized Swarovski dealer to ensure your full warranty is honored.  Collectors will have to quickly give up the notion that their new Swarovski crystal figurines will have a certificate of authenticity if multiple items are combined into a single order.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Steiff Sapphire – Limited Edition Teddy Bear in 2011

Steiff fanatics may be interested in a recently released Steiff Bear decorated with sparkling Swarovski stones.  This new teddy bear is named Sapphire.  The bear features a deep blue coat of silk material.  The bear has paws encrusted with Swarovski crystal Elements stones reflecting a rainbow of colors accenting the sapphire blue color of the bear.

Swarovski Steiff Teddy Bear Sapphire
Steiff Bear Sapphire decorated with Swarovski

Sapphire is also decorated with a strand of Swarovski Elements to create a choker around her neck.  And of course, she has a white label with the famous Steiff button in the ear. Sapphire is 10″ tall and retails for $280.

Steiff Sapphire is a limited edition bear.   There are only 2000 available.  Each Steiff Sapphire bear includes a numbered certificate of authenticity and is packaged in a special Steiff gift box.  The Sapphire Steiff Bear can be purchased from the Steiff USA site.

Other Steiff Swarovski bears have been produced.  The retired Swarovski / Steiff bears below featured a Swarovski ornament necklace:
  • Steiff Swarovski Bear ‘Daniel’ – 2004
  • Steiff Swarovski Bear ‘Crystal’ – 2005
  • Steiff Swarovski Bear ‘Orian’ – 2006
  • Steiff Swarovski Bear ‘Jewels’ – 2007
  • Steiff Swarovski Bear ‘Poinsettia’ – 2007
  • Steiff Swarovski Bear ‘Flurrie’ – 2008
  • Steiff Swarovski Bear ‘Kringle’ – 2009
  • Steiff Swarovski Bear ‘Twinkle’ – 2010

Remember, Sapphire is a Steiff / Swarovski Limited Edition piece, so make your decision soon if Sapphire is going to be a part of your bear collection or Swarovski collection.

Crystal Exchange America has a few retired Steiff Swarovski bears if you are looking for an older bear.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Lovlots Benny Bunny Rabbit – Swarovski Limited Edition figurine???

The latest Lovlots series was launched last month, the Swarovski Lovlots circus. Swarovski Benny is among the figurines in this Lovlots series.  Accompanying Swarovski Benny Bunny are Swarovski Jade Dancing Horse, Swarovski Jasmine Dancing Horse, Swarovski Leo Lion, Swarovski Rolly Monkey, Swarovski Rosalie Dancing Horse, Swarovski Toby Elephant, and Swarovski Tony Elephant.

The crystal giant has certainly advertised Jade as a limited edition Swarovski figurine in the Circus series.  The site states that Swarovski Jade is a ‘Limited Edition horse available only available in 2011’.

There is another figurine in the Swarovski Circus collection that the Swarovski site implies may be a limited edition.Swarovski Benny.  Taken directly from the Swarovski Benny product description on the site:  ‘This shy Prince Charming makes a very cute couple with Bella the rabbit! Benny is only available for a limited time while stocks last.’

Swarovski Circus Benny Bunny

I have asked several Swarovski retailers about whether or not Benny is a limited edition, and they seem unaware of the possibility that it could be limited.  I did some searching on the web, and found at least five stores online stating that it is available for a limited time only.  Two store sources told me that it does not have the year on it (like other Limited Edition Lovlots).

The Lovlots Circus Swarovski crystal figurines are all available for purchase on the Swarovski web site.  Simply go to the web site, and do a search on ‘circus’.  The search results will show the eight figurines from the series.

If I should get a Swarovski company confirmation regarding the marketing of Swarovski Benny, I’ll post an update.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Limited Edition Royal Wedding Pen

I’m in the USA, so I don’t hear as much about the big Royal Wedding as do the residents of the UK.  I’d think they hear about royal wedding updates in the media, in the streets, and at the water cooler.  I imagine they see royal wedding memorabilia everywhere.  Vendors wanting to come up with unique ideas and also be in on the action making a few more bucks when there is a chance.

In the UK, there is a Swarovski Limited Edition Royal Wedding Pen being sold.  It is a Swarovski pen (in a Swarovski box, and Swarovski on the pen).  The color is purple and it has black ink.  The body is filled with 160 sparkling Swarovski crystal stones. The barrel is imprinted with “29th April 2011”, the date of HRH William and Kate’s royal wedding.  The Swarovski system # is 1119199.

 

Swarovski Royal Pen

This Royal Wedding Pen is a Limited Edition item, with only 2,000 units produced.  I found two stores in the UK selling them online.  I also found the Swarovski Royal Wedding pen on ebay from two different sellers (one seller with two id’s??  I don’t know)

The Swarovski Royal Wedding Pen is shown with a Swarovski Certificate by one eBay seller.  The other seller does not show or mention a certificate.

Since the pens have only the date on, they could possible represent a special date someone else’s life birthday, engagement date, anniversary, or some other special occasion. If the date April 29th is meaningful in your life, this might be a good gift idea!

Swarovski produced a variety of pen colors, and many can be found on the crystal brand web site in the Stationery category:  Swarovski Pens.  The retail price is in the range of $24 – $33 per pen.

I’ll be looking for more royal wedding memorabilia using Swarovski components, so stay tuned for more discoveries!

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Crystal Easter Eggs

Easter is just around the corner, and many people enjoy watching the young ones participating in Easter Egg hunts, visiting the Easter Bunny, and receiving Easter baskets filled with candy and trinkets.

Even grown-ups sometimes enjoy creating an Easter basket filled with sweets and treasures for that special someone in their life.

If your special someone is among the many Swarovski crystal fanatics, perhaps Swarovski Easter Eggs would make a nice gift tucked away among the marshmallow bunnies, jelly beans, and chocolate eggs.

The Swarovski Easter Eggs were a set of five eggs: Clear, Pink, Peridot, Jonquil and Sapphire.  They were produced less than 2 years, beginning in 2004 and retiring in 2005.  Each egg in the set is approximately 1 inch long.  Elke Kumar was the Swarovski designer credited for the crystal creation.  The Swarovski Easter Eggs can be identified using the following company-assigned reference numbers: 9448 000 028 / 665 193 / 680 705.

If you are thinking that you like the idea, the Swarovski Easter Eggs can be found at Crystal Exchange America web site: http://www.crystalexchange.com/ .  The Swarovski crystal eggs start at $75 + shipping and many can be shipped out within 2 days of order initiation.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Soulmate Panther – Black vs Moroda

Last month, I wrote an article about the Swarovski Black Panther and its latest rival the Swarovski Moroda Panther, both a part of the Swarovski Soulmate product line.  For the most part, I had two questions:

  1. What is the difference in color between the Swarovski Black Panther and the Swarovski Moroda Panther?
  2. And if the colors are nearly identical, is the value of the Swarovski Limited Edition Black Panther going to decline as a result of a nearly identical release?

Originally, when the article was written, on the Swarovski site, the panther’s color was described as it gleams intensely in Moroda crystal.   It was up to the buyer to figure out what ‘Moroda crystal’ was.

I’m happy to see that Swarovski has expanded upon their description of the color.  A portion of the Swarovski Panther product description states it gleams intensely in Moroda crystal, radiating from a metallic blue to warm bronze and brown-black tones.  I think this still leaves a bit to the imagination, but it does sound like an interesting color, if these dark rainbow tones do come out when displayed in a Swarovski collector’s cabinet.

 


Swarovski Soulmate Panther (Moroda) Swarovski Soulmate Panther (Clear)
(Pictured above, left to right are the Swarovski Soulmate Panthers:  Moroda Panther, Black Panther, and Clear Panther)

Here’s a quick comparison between the Swarovski Black Panther and Swarovski Moroda Panther if you’re considering a purchase:

 

  • Availability…
    Swarovski Black Panther – Swarovski Numbered Limited Edition (more difficult to locate)
    Swarovski Moroda Panther – Brand New 2011, not numbered, not limited
  • Color…
    Swarovski Black Panther – Jet Black
    Swarovski Moroda Panther – Moroda crystal, radiating from a metallic blue to warm bronze and brown-black tones
  • Where to Purchase…
    Swarovski Black Panther – Retired.  Must be purchased on the Secondary Market or Online Auction
    Swarovski Moroda Panther –  Brand New.  Can be purchased from the Swarovski web site or any authorized retailer (still not available to purchase in the USA online)
  • Price…
    Swarovski Black Panther – Purchase price likely to be $3000 – $4000
    Swarovski Moroda Panther – Purchase price $960 (or maybe less if you have a good relationship with your Swarovski store)

If you still prefer clear figurines over colored figurines, the crystal brand is retiring the clear Swarovski Soulmate Panther this year (2011).  The clear cat has a system number of 874 337.  The Swarovski designer credited for the elegant design is Heinz Tabertshofer.  All the Swarovski Soulmate Panther figurines come in a firm case, a cleaning cloth, and gloves.  All retail(ed) for $960.

If you are a feline fanatic, there are other Swarovski crystal wild cat figurines:  Swarovski Tiger, Swarovski Golden Shadow Lion, Swarovski Lion, and Swarovski Leopard.  Most of these feline figurines can be found at the Crystal Exchange America web site:  http://www.crystalexchange.com/ .

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Country Mos Cows Sale at Crystal Exchange America

Crystal Exchange America has a client with a few extra Swarovski Country Mos to sell quickly.  So to assist in the clients wishes, Crystal Exchange is running a promotion with a coupon valid specifically on the Swarovski Country Mo Lovlots cows.

Swarovski Limited Edition Country Mo Cows

The Country Mos is a pair of Swarovski Limited Edition Cows in the Swarovski Lovlots product line that was available online only in 2010.  The Swarovski Country Mos are clear with brown or black spots and horns matching the spots.  The bells on the cows are a golden color.  The original retail price of the Swarovski cows was $105 + shipping.

The following coupon code ‘kbuzzcow3’ can be used during checkout to save $25 on the already attractive prices of the Swarovski Country Mos.  The coupon is good for the purchase on Swarovski Country Mos only and does expire April 30, 2011.  Purchase several pair and create your very own Swarovski Country Mo Cow herd!

Crystal Exchange America has all the Swarovski Limited Edition Mo crystals on their web site if you are looking for any of the other Swarovski Mo figurines, such as: Swarovski Pinky Mo (2007), Swarovski Flower Mo (2008), Swarovski Soccer Mo(2008), Swarovski Halloween Mo (2009), and Swarovski Glamour Mos (2010).  They also have other special Limited Edition Lovlots in the store, simply look in the Limited Editions category at http://www.crystalexchange.com/

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski COA Crystal Acronym

Here are more acronyms used in advertising Swarovski crystal that is offered for sale.  While the many experienced Swarovski Crystal collectors understand the frequently used acronyms, there are still a lot of people buying and selling Swarovski who do not have knowledge of the acronyms or can be mislead by improper use of the acronym.  So, I thought I’d do my best to cover a few more acronyms and offer cautions on the use of them.

Swarovski COA – Swarovski Certificate of Authenticity.  For the majority of Swarovski crystal products, the Swarovski COA is truly a generic product booklet that can be interchanged with other Swarovski crystal products. I have a lengthy page on the Crystal Exchange America site about Swarovski Certificates and two Kristall Buzz Swarovski blog postings on the Swarovski COA:
Swarovski Certificates / Generic Product Booklets 1976 to present

 

The Swarovski COA is definitely important for some figurines, but the ones in the image above are the interchangeable generic product booklets.  Swarovski SCS figurines and Swarovski AE figurines should have certificates.  In many cases (but not all cases), limited edition figurines have a special Swarovski COA.  Not all sellers are knowledgeable about Swarovski because they are not serious collectors.  For a Swarovski Annual Edition, the seller may include the generic product booklet in lieu the true Swarovski COA.  This would likely be a costly mistake for an unskilled collector who does not know what the ‘complete package’ should include.  Purchasing a special (correct) Swarovski COA may not be an easy task as they are typically harder to find and can be expensive to purchase separately.
Wrapping up, this should serve as a reminder to thoroughly read auction descriptions, view the auction images if there are any, and ask questions if there might be contradictory information.  Use caution when an auction for an Annual Edition states Swarovski COA included, but shows an image of the generic product booklet.  When in doubt, ask questions about the items included for sale and what the seller’s return policy is.  When the transaction is finished, the buyer should be happy with outcome final price.
Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Arribas Mickey Mouse Figurine on eBay

Swarovski and Disney collectors may be glad to hear about the Swarovski Arribas Jeweled Mickey Mouse is on ebay with an attractive opening bid!  (Specific item details are available on the Swarovski Jeweled Mickey Mouse in the auction.)

 

 

Swarovski Arribas Mickey Mouse

The Swarovski Mickey Mouse was a limited edition figurine sold and marketed by the Arribas Brothers stores in the Disney theme parks.  10,000 limited edition Swarovski statues were produced for the Arribas Brothers. This collectible figure is 2.25″ tall and has over 180 Swarovski paves stones set into the face, arms, chest, buttons and legs of Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse features the Arribas stamp in the foot of the figurine.

The Arribas Mickey Mouse originally retailed for $295 when it launched and sold out in 1997.  While the figurine itself is not numbered, the accompanying certificate does indicate the production number.  An optional stand and plaque were offered with the figurine at approximately $50 each.

The Swarovski Mickey Mouse was the first piece in the joint venture between Swarovski and the Arribas Brothers stores.  Following the success of this figurine, other similarly-decorated, limited edition, figurines were produced:  Tinker Bell, Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Donald Duck, and there are others.

Arribas continues to introduce and sell figurines decorated with Swarovski crystal stones, however, they don’t seem to be quite as popular as the inaugural Mickey Mouse.

If you are looking for retired Swarovski Arribas and Disney figurines, Crystal Exchange America has a selection of them. The Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America