I recently came across a review of some unique watches decorated with Swarovski crystal stones. After reading the review, I decided to get more information on the watches.
These retro digital watches can be found on the Phosphor web site. I saw about six watches available, with the primary difference being the strap color and crystal colors. The prices range from $200 – $250 per watch.
The description from the Phosphor web site about one of their watches is:
Driven by Micro-Magnetic Mechanical Digital (M3D) technology, the Phosphor Appear watch utilizes miniature-sized rotors adorned with Swarovski crystals that revolve to reveal numerical or chronological information. With each minute, an electrical pulse generates an electromagnetic field that changes the position of the crystals on the face of the watch, to elegantly display the passing time, while producing a distinctive sound unique to the Phosphor Appear digital watch line.
The basic “time” mode features a 12-hour display, with the hours positioned above the minutes on the face. The watch face also offers a “seconds” mode and “off” mode, showing an entire face of crystals with no time display.
These Swarovski crystal decorated watches are interesting. They contain lots of bling and are likely fascinating conversation pieces. While composing this article, I decided to check out the crystal giant’s web site of their product line of Swarovski Watches. As you would expect, the watches are pricey. The least expensive Swarovski watch was $500. I did find several over $3000. If cost is a motivating factor in purchasing a blingy watch, perhaps these Phosphor time pieces may be something to consider!
Swarovski Tinker Bell (LE 2008), step aside and make room for Swarovski Tinker Bell (2011). Tinker Bell (2011) is available for purchase at the Swarovski web site, and this is great news for Swarovski fanatics and Disney fanatics alike.
Swarovski Tinkerbell 2008
This new pair of Swarovski Disney characters of Tinker Bell and Peter Pan retail for $300 each. There is also a title plaque ($55), in the shape of a star, for the duo. The identification number for Swarovski Tinker Bell is 1073747. The identification number for Swarovski Peter Pan is 1077772.
Swarovski Tinkerbell 2011
While the pictures at the Swarovski web site make this Tinker Bell figurine look rather cute, I do have concerns as to the effects that this new release will have on the value of the Swarovski Limited Edition Tinker Bell that was sold in 2008.
Here are some comparative facts on the Swarovski Tinker Bell, LE 2008 and Tinker Bell, 2011:
Retail price $300 in 2008 (included title plaque). $300 in 2011.
Height4 13/16″ in 2008. 5 1/8″ in 2011.
Wings Aurore Boreale in 2008. Crystal Blue Aurore Boreale in 2011.
Base.Clear, resembling a waterlily candleholder in 2008. Matte crystal in 2011.
Outfit.Clear in 2008. Green Olivine Crystal in 2011.
Since there are now two Swarovski Tinker Bell figurines, Swarovski crystal collectors and Disney collectors have choices when purchasing Tinker Bell. Collectors should use care if purchasing the 2008 LE Swarovski Tinker Bell. As there are a number of similarities, the most obvious stand-out feature is the green dress for the 2011 figurine. Be aware of the differences so that you don’t pay a ‘2008 LE’ price tag for a 2011 figurine with a Peter Pan plaque included.
The Swarovski Hong Kong Pyramid is an exceptional sculpture that was in the Swarovski Crystal Home Accessories product line. The Swarovski crystal figurine that sold in January had a price tag of $900 with shipping cost included.
Are you curious to know how rare or hard-to-find that it may be? Swarovski produced only 1997 of them from 1997 to 1998. Each of the Hong Kong Pyramids produced is numbered, that that makes this sculpture a Swarovski Numbered Limited Edition (Swarovski NLE). The original MSRP of the Swarovski crystal figurine was approximately $1100 USD.
The designer who created the unique sculpture wasTsang Mei Fong. The designer’s design was a competition winner, where her crystal figurine was selected to commemorate the transition year of Hong Kong. The Swarovski Part number is 9280 000 035. The Swarovski system number is 222 858. This magnificent art object measures 12″ in height and 2″ square at the base.
Swarovski Hong Kong Crystal with Swarovski Identification Label and Designer Inscription
This rare Swarovski crystal is not necessarily hard to find, despite the limited number of production. Crystal Exchange America presently has 4 listed, ranging in price from $1700 – $2100. One or two can generally be found in the online auctions near $1200 – $1500.
Illusion looking at Swarovski Hong Kong Crystal through the bottom facet
My advice to Swarovski collectors is to purchase the Swarovski crystal figurines that you really like …ones that tug at your heart. One never knows what is going to happen in the economy or how well a figurine may sell to make it more desirable or sell for a much higher price in the future. If this were predictable, we would all be making good investments in crystal and in other market areas.
The Black Panther, Swarovski NLE 2010, sold out very quickly when it was released for online purchasing in April last year. With a retail price tag of $960, the Swarovski Black Panther (jet was the official color) was one of the most affordable NLE issues that was produced by the crystal giant. And a maximum production quantity of only 500 figurines, this was another nice feature that made this black cat quite desirable. Shortly after the sell-out date, the Swarovski Black Panther sky-rocketed to its current secondary market price of $2500-$3000 USD.
Swarovski Black Panther, NLW 2010
All this being said, the Swarovski Black Panther may have some competition in the very near future. The crystal brand is releasing another colored panther…the Swarovski Moroda Panther. The Swarovski system number is 1096051. Looking at the product picture at the Swarovski web site, you may very well think that this newest panther is brown, which would indeed make it a bit different from the original Black Panther.
Swarovski Moroda Panther, 2011
However, if you look at another new release, the Swarovski French Angelfish, this release has a lot of ‘moroda’ colored crystal accents, and the official Swarovski product description for the fish states that Moroda is black. BLACK? BLACK!
Well, of course any color differentiation cannot be done until a collector has both Swarovski Panther figurines side by side. But at the moment, I am feeling uneasy about this new release. My NLE Swarovski Black Panther has gone up in value…something that cannot be said very often these days. If this new cat, the Moroda Panther, is a shade of black, history indicates that the (jet) Black Panther values will drop as many collectors will likely settle for purchasing the Moroda Panther for a fraction of the price.
I have seen this new-similar-design approach in the past, and it nearly always brings down the value of the original design as buyers will simply not pay higher prices for retired figurines when Swarovski has other cheaper, suitable alternatives. Examples of this phenomenon include: Swarovski SCS Dragon (DO1X971) and Dragon (7550 000 005), Swarovski SCS Turtledoves (DO1X891) and Turtledoves (7621 000 011), Swarovski SCS Dolphins (DO1X901) and Dolphin (7644 000 001). (and there are other look-alike figurines, these are only a few). All the Swarovski SCS crystal figurines dropped hundreds of dollars, 30% – 50%, depending on the figurine. While the economy certainly contributes to the decline in value of the secondary market in general, I do believe that for these figurines, it was precipitated by the release of the similar-looking figurines which, by the way, are all still current on the Swarovski web site. I foresee history repeating itself…good for the company with more sales of a newly-released panther, no-so-good for collectors who have valuable retired Swarovski figurines, in this case, the beautiful (jet) Black Panther.
If you like the Swarovski Panther design, but prefer clear crystal figurines, the crystal brand does offer the figurine in clear crystal, but it is retiring very soon (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 Panther figurines come in a firm blue box, a cleaning cloth, and gloves. All retail(ed) for $960.
If you are a feline fanatic, you may be interested to know that there are other Swarovski crystal wild cat figurines: Swarovski Leopard, Swarovski Lion, Swarovski Golden Shadow Lion, and Swarovski Tiger. Most of these can be found at the Crystal Exchange America web site: http://www.crystalexchange.com/ .
Crystal Exchange America has a very joyous couple of clients who recently purchased a rare Swarovski Mouse. This crystal mouse is a very special figurine that was never sold or marketed by Swarovski.
This particular Swarovski mouse is like no others that I have ever seen. At the onset of the transaction, the selling client stated that less than 1000 were produced and that it was a gift to some retailers. The selling client was located in the European community. So, it sound like it may be a piece of rare Swarovski? During the sale, I learned that less than 400 were actually made in 2006. It does contain the Swarovski swan logo, but because the mouse was a special family member project, it was never assigned an official Swarovski part number or system number.
Rare Swarovski Mouse Crystal Figurine
The mouse is just over 2.5″ long, and features silver whiskers and black ears. The black tail is about 3″ long and resembles a round shoe lace. The crystal body reminds me of a bell shape. It is 1.75″ wide and 1.25″ high at the broadest point. The face and back end are polished, not faceted like most Swarovski figurines.
This rare Swarovski figurine is documented in the 2011 edition of Warner’s Blue Ribbon Books. It is in the Silver Crystal Book, located in the Employee chapter. No Swarovski Value was assigned to the figurine in the book.
This was a terrific find and the Swarovski fanatics who made the purchase are very happy collectors. I’m thrilled that Crystal Exchange America was able to assist in the transaction to make all parties involved satisfied clients.
Rare Swarovski Violins? FUSE? What? I had never heard of FUSE, Ben Lee, Linzi Stoppard, and nor did I know anything about Swarovski violins until a few days ago. I was intrigued and thought I would share what I found with my fellow Swarovski friends.
FUSE is a string group, based out of the UK. They formed their group in 2007. The group leaders are Ben Lee and Linzi Stoppard.
These are unique musicians. They play the ‘electric violins’. Woa but not just any electric violin (I didn’t even know such a thing existed), they play Swarovski crystal encrusted violins, decorated with over 50,000 Swarovski crystals each.
And if that doesn’t sound incredible enough, these violins are not ‘museum display units’, they are really used during the FUSE performances. Each electric violin is insured for £1.0M each. Their tour in 2010 was sponsored exclusively by Swarovski, so they have been blessed.
I’m so amazed with the Swarovski violins, that I’m overlooking the people with all the talent! Ben Lee and Linzi Stoppard have been called the Prince and Princess of the rock violin world. I understand that their sound is unique and original. It is a classical-cross-over taking popular rock songs to a new platform and more. I won’t even try to describe it further, check out the YouTube Video:
I am fascinated, not just with the Swarovski violins, but also with the style. I would definitely try to attend a show if they were anywhere near Ohio.
Swarovski designed and sold its first cow in the Swarovski Lovlots series, Missy Mo, in 2006. Missy Mo is clear in color and is still a member of the current product offerings. After 2006, Swarovski began issuing this same design, changing the color, and offering the colored cows as limited edition figurines.
2009 Limited Edition Cow – Swarovski Flower Mo
In 2007, Swarovski made the first Limited Edition Mo, the Swarovski Pinky Mo. Pinky Mo is, just as its name suggests, pink in color, with white horns and bell.
In 2008 Swarovski produced its next Limited Edition, Swarovski Soccer Mo. Soccer Mo was red in color, with white horns and bell.
In 2009, Swarovski collectors were blessed with two Limited Edition Mo: Flower Mo and Halloween Mo. Swarovski Flower Mo was light green in color, decorated with small rose, yellow, and white flowers, with white horns and bell. Swarovski Halloween Mo was orange, with black horns and bell.
In 2010, Swarovski produced the Limited Edition cows as ‘couples’: Swarovski Country Mos and Swarovski Glamour Mos. The Country Mos were clear with brown or black spots and horns matching the spots. The bells were a golden color. The Swarovski Glamour Mos were the first cows to NOT have bells. Instead, the female cow (golden in color) had a pearl necklace and the male cow (black in color) sported a small bow tie.
The individual Swarovski Lovlots cows generally sold for $55 – $75 from the Swarovski web site while the cow pairs retailed for $105 – $120. However, the best performing Limited Edition cow is certainly the Swarovski Flower Mo. Flower Mo is unquestionably cute .perhaps that is why it presently sells for the highest prices in the online auctions and at the retired Swarovski dealers. The present selling prices are incredible for this Swarovski green cow in the range of $275 – $325, which is up (on average) $75 from prices in December, 2010. The upward spiral in price is unbelievable…is this some indication it may reach $400 by the end of the year? With more Limited Edition Mo figurines on the horizon for 2011, it will be interesting to see if the Flower Mo prices will continue to rise, or if a 2011 release takes command once it is sold out.
Crystal Exchange America has all the Swarovski Limited Edition Cows and other special edition Swarovski Lovlots crystal figurines on their web site. If the dramatic rise in price is a trend (not just temporary), purchasing sooner rather than later, may be a good idea.
Swarovski makes a number of beautiful candleholders in their Swarovski Silver Crystal and Swarovski Home Accessories product lines. Swarovski candle holders look lovely on tables and in crystal display cabinets.
However, I can tell you that burning candles in them is not something I would recommend. Cleaning wax from any candle holder can be a job, but cleaning wax from a Swarovski crystal candle holder is a real challenge. The simplest way to remove wax from candle holders is to heat the wax and removed it in a softer or more fluid state. But, heating a Swarovski candle holder has a good bit of risk: excess heat can dissolve the glue holding the crystal components together. Putting in it the dishwasher..absolutely not! Putting it in the microwave. I just don’t think so. Using a hair dryer. I personally would not take the chance.
Swarovski crystal collectors may choose to simply display them with a candle. At one point in time, the crystal brand produced some lovely Swarovski Lucite candles. The authentic Swarovski Lucite candles are clear with silver-colored or gold-colored flakes inside. (Obviously, the Lucite candles should not be burned).
Crystal Exchange America recently sold a set of the Swarovski Lucite candles. The candles were packaged as a set of four. They were clear with the silver-colored flakes. The Swarovski box shows the older Swarovski logo, along with the candle holders that the Swarovski candles would fit into.
Swarovski Lucite Candles, Clear with Silver Flakes, and original Swarovski Box
Crystal Exchange America has a couple more authentic Swarovski Lucite candle sets still available as well as a couple of authentic Swarovski wax candle sets. Swarovski collectors interested in authentic Swarovski candles can visit the Crystal Exchange America site, then search on the term ‘candles’.
Swarovski crystal fanatics and Ugg fanatics, get ready for your Swarovski Limited Edition Ugg Boots! These are Ugg boots, embellished with Swarovski crystals for several major markets. The Ugg boot decorations celebrate some famous cities/regions (most of which are in the USA): London, Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York City, and Washington DC. According to the articles I read, the limited edition Swarovski emblazoned boots retail in the $800 – $900 price range! And the boots are only available in Ugg stores of the celebrated cities.
Ugg Boots embellished with Swarovski crystal stones
The New York City grey boots commemorate the New York skyline with the Empire State building in Swarovski stones. The United Kingdom version shows a crown in Swarovski crystals. There is a Union Jack version as well for the United Kingdom, that appears to be decorated with clear and red Swarovski crystal stones. The Miami, Florida Ugg boots are white, decorated with numerous colors. Pink flamingos and palm trees are obvious icons for these boots. The Los Angeles, California Ugg boots are black. The design appears to focus on the nightlife of the city and nearby Hollywood, featuring red and clear Swarovski stones. The Washington DC / Georgetown Ugg boots are naturally decorated with traditional red, white, and blue Swarovski stones, with our grand flag design: stars and stripes forever. The flag is on a grey-colored Ugg boot. The Las Vegas, Nevada Ugg boots appear to be dark brown and symbolic of the gambling in the city. Aces, poker chips, and dice are incorporated into this city design.
One site I read indicated that there were 100 pairs created for each city, and that each pair was numbered to ensure authenticity. I supposed that makes them Swarovski NLE! I did not find any mention of the release date. There is a theory that the team effort between Ugg and Swarovski will extend to other cities, as if these cities are test-market areas.
I like my Ugg boots and slippers are very comfy. However, I cannot see myself spending a small fortune on footwear embellished with crystal unless I plan to display them right next to my other Limited Edition Swarovski figurines in the cabinet!
I have good news for Swarovski collectors…the Warner’s Blue Ribbon Book on Swarovski: Beyond Silver CrystalSwarovski catalog is now available!
This Swarovski catalog is in its 15th year of publication. Tom and Jane Warner, the book authors, are true Swarovski collectors and annually publish new Swarovski books each year.
Swarovski 2011 Book featuring non-silver-crystal figurines
The Swarovski Beyond Silver Crystal catalog contains Swarovski pictures and detailed information about Swarovski crystal figurines across many company product lines for the past 35 years! It is the photos in the book, along with dimensions and other facts that allow for accurate Swarovski identification to properly insure a Swarovski collection. The Swarovski product lines or groupings include in the Beyond Silver Crystal book are: Swarovski Crystal Moments, Swarovski Myriad, Swarovski Chinese Zodiacs, Swarovski Soulmates, Swarovski Home Accessories, Daniel Swarovski Home Accessories, Daniel Swarovski Masterpiece, Julia’s World, Perfumes, Paperweights, Swarovski Trimlite, Swarovski Crystal Signatures, Swarovski Christmas Memories, Crystal Scents, Swarovski CrystalograMs, Arribas Creations, and Swarovski Paradise. That’s nearly 1700 Swarovski Crystal items in the Beyond Silver Crystal Book.
The primary reasons for publishing the Swarovski book annually are to:
Include previous year Swarovski crystal introductions and retirements
Revise Swarovski Value (Swarovski ERV in the publication) to 2011 standards
For the 2011 Swarovski catalog, approximately 75 new crystal figurines have been added from the 2010 edition. Approximately 35 retirements are now newly retired from the 2010 edition. Investigation for 2011 Swarovski ERV was completed in January 2011, so the determined Swarovski Value for the retired Swarovski figurines for the 2011 edition is fresh.
Swarovski collectors who have never purchased the book can find contact information for the authors at the Warner’s Blue Ribbon Book web site http://www.wbrb.com/ (on the About Us tab) to determine which book is best for the collector or if the collectors should purchase the complete book set. For loyal Swarovski collections who know exactly what they need, the Warner’s Blue Ribbon Book on Swarovski: Beyond Silver Crystal, can be placed at Warner’s web site or http://www.crystalexchange.com/swarovski-c-PUB.html.
