Category: Michael Stamey

Swarovski Whales ‘Care For Me’ – SCS 1992 Annual Edition

The Swarovski Whales is the third crystal figurine of the second Swarovski trilogy is the ‘Mother and Child’.  All SCS crystal figurines in this series were designed by Michael Stamey, and to date, is the only trilogy by a single designer.

Swarovski ‘Care For Me’ Whales, 1992 SCS AE

In 1992, the Swarovski Whales could be purchased by SCS crystal collectors who possessed membership in the Swarovski Club (SCS).  The Swarovski Whales measures about just over  4″ in height.  This crystal figurine features a clear mother whale and a clear baby whale, with a gentle wave under them.

The SCS Whales contain what the crystal brand calls the ‘backstamp / bottomstamp’, which is included for the sake of authenticity. It is simple to see the designer’s initials “MSt” and the year “92” on the bottom side of the wave.  ‘MSt’ is used for Michael Stamey’s initials since MS is used for Max Schrek (Lovebirds)

The ‘Care For Me’ Whales can be identified using the Swarovski part number DO1X921 or system number 164 614.

In addition to the 1992 SCS Whales, Swarovski has released a number of crystal whale figurines:

  • Swarovski Whale – 7628 080 000 / 014 483.  This Swarovski Whale was available 1987 through 1991.  It can be found with either the Block SC Logo or the Swan logo.
  • Swarovski Walter the Whale – 9460 200 023 / 680 508.  This small blue whale was in the Swarovski Crystal Moments line, and was available in 2005 and 2006 only.
  • Swarovski Paikea Humpback Whale – 9100 000 337 / 1 095 228.  This is the 2012 SCS Annual Edition designed by Stefanie Nederegger
  • Swarovski Young Whale, SCS – 9100 000 338 / 1 096 741.  This is the companion whale to the 2012 Swarovski Annual Edition Whale designed by Stefanie Nederegger.

A quick comparison of the 1992 Swarovski Whales to the 2012 Swarovski Whale reveals these primary differences:

  • ‘Care For Me’ Whales is a SINGLE figurine.  Paikea Whale and Young Whale are 2 separate figurines purchased individually.
  • ‘Care For Me’ Whales are completely clear figurines. Paikea Whale and Young Whale are Shadow crystal with Crystal Moonlight accents.

The SCS Swarovski Whales retailed for $265 USD in 1992.  The purchase price included the SCS crystal figurine, a white cylinder with fitted- foam specific to the Whales, and a Swarovski  Certificate of Authenticity (Swarovski COA).    Presently, the Swarovski Whales, in mint condition, complete with original packaging can generally be purchased on the secondary market for $305 – $345 from professional Swarovski expert dealers, like Crystal Exchange America.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Seals ‘Save Me’ – SCS 1991 Annual Edition

The Swarovski Seals is the second crystal figurine of the second Swarovski trilogy is the ‘Mother and Child’.  All SCS crystal figurines in this series were constructed of completely clear crystal components, which is a unique characteristic of all the Swarovski SCS figurines.

Swarovski ‘Save Me’ Seals, 1991 SCS AE

 

The Swarovski Seals could be purchased only in 1991 by SCS collectors with membership in the Swarovski Club (SCS).  The Swarovski Seals measures about 4″ long.  It is a figurine with 2 clear seals, a mother seal and a baby seal, resting upon a clear iceberg.

The SCS Seals contain what the crystal brand calls the ‘backstamp / bottomstamp’, which is included for the sake of authenticity.  It is simple to see the designer’s initials “MSt” and the year “91” on the underside of the iceberg.  ‘MSt’ is used for Michael Stamey’s initials since MS is used for Max Schrek (Lovebirds)

The ‘Save Me’ Seals can be identified using the Swarovski part number DO1X911 or system number 158 872.

In addition to the 1991 SCS Seals, the crystal giant has produced other crystal seal figurines, all of which are retired:

  • Swarovski Large Seal – 7646 085 000 / 012 261.  The Swarovski Large Seal was produced with 3 different styles of noses / whiskers.  The Large Seal, in some variation, was available 1985 – 1995.
  • Swarovski Baby Seal – 7663 046 000 / 012 530.  The Swarovski Baby Seal was produced with 3 different styles of noses / whiskers.  The Baby Seal, in some variation, was available 1986 – 2005.
  • Swarovski Playing Seal – 7661 000 006 / 622 526, 2003 – 2007

The SCS Swarovski Seals retailed for $225 USD in 1991.  The purchase price included the SCS crystal figurine, a cylinder with custom foam for the figurine, and a Swarovski COA (certificate of authenticity).    At this time, Swarovski Seals , in mint condition, complete with original packaging can generally be purchased on the secondary market for $350 – $400 from professional Swarovski expert dealers, like Crystal Exchange America.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Dolphins ‘Lead Me’ – SCS 1990 Annual Edition

The second Swarovski trilogy is the ‘Mother and Child’ series, all designed by Michael Stamey.  The first crystal figurine of the series is the Swarovski Dolphins, which are the feature figure of this article.

The Swarovski Dolphins were available for purchase only in 1990 by collectors who had a membership in the Swarovski SCS Club.  These ‘Mother and Child” Dolphins measures about 4 3/4″ long.  It is a figurine with 2 clear dolphins, a mother dolphin and a baby dolphin, swimming atop a clear wave.

Swarovski ‘Lead Me’ Dolphins, 1990 SCS AE

The SCS Dolphins contain what the crystal brand calls the ‘backstamp / bottomstamp’, which is included for the sake of authenticity.  It is fairly easy to see the designer’s initials “MSt” and the year “90” can be seen.  ‘MSt’ is used for Michael Stamey’s initials since MS is used for Max Schreck (Swarovski SCS Lovebirds ‘Togetherness in 1987)

The ‘Lead Me’ Dolphins were known using the Swarovski part number DO1X901, and years later the system number 153 850 was revealed, so it can be identified using either number.

It is not unusual for the non-collector owner (i.e. someone has inherited a collection but is not knowledgeable about Swarovski) to refer to the figurine as a ‘Swarovski Porpoise’ pair.  In doing some research, I found that there are distinct differences between dolphins and porpoises.  The crystal brand has not released any Swarovski porpoise figurines.

Since the 1990 SCS Dolphins, the crystal giant has produced other clear crystal dolphin figurines:

The SCS Swarovski Dolphins retailed for $225 USD in 1990.  The purchase price included the crystal figurine, a custom box for the figurine, and a Swarovski COA (certificate of authenticity).    While the resale price of the Swarovski Dolphins  surpassed to over $900 shortly after 2000, a mint condition figurine, complete with original packaging can generally be purchased on the secondary market for $450 – $475, from Swarovski expert dealers, like Crystal Exchange America.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America