Swarovski Christmas App for the iPhone and Android Smartphones

Our favorite brand Swarovski is seems committed to getting our attention on our iPhones (including iPod and iPad) and Android Phones.  This is the 2nd App in 2 months that Swarovski has launched to keep us playing their crystal games.

Swarovski Christmas App
Swarovski iPhone App – Drag the Gifts to the Recipient

 

 

 

 

The newest app is the Swarovski Christmas Around the World App.  Since it was free in the App store, I decided to ask my daughter to take it for a test-drive.  She says the instructions were simple, and the concept is easy to catch on to.  Of course, the longer you play, and the higher the score, the more difficult the tasks.

 

 

 

 

 

The Swarovski Christmas App  for smartphones has a total of 6 color-coded characters, but at the easy levels begins with 2 people to receive gifts.  The idea is to give the Swarovski crystal gift to the correct recipient (because recipients and bubbles are color-coded) before the gifts disappear.  But there are NON-Swarovski gifts that should NOT be given to the characters, so you have to pay close attention to the gift in the bubbles. As various levels are completed the number of recipients increases and the speeds that the bubbles appear / disappear change, making the levels more difficult.  Adding even more complexity, later in the game, some of the bubbles are gray, meaning you have to figure out the correct recipient for the gift during the play.

Swarovski App : Berlin and London

The Swarovski Christmas App features Christmas trees in a number of cities:  Innsbruck, London, Berlin, Zurich, and Madrid.  It appears that points must be used to purchase flights to other cities, but my daughter did not expand on how that worked.  She stated that high scores can be included for world-wide display, and that this does enter you into drawings for Swarovski prizes.  Whew hew!  More Swarovski crystal!

In the game, it is possible to view more information about the Swarovski crystal gifts in the bubbles, and add them to a personal wish list, which can then be emailed to your friends and family.  We tried this but the links to the Swarovski crystal  wishlist products in the recipient”s email did not seem to work on our attempts, so   I’m not sure that this feature would be all that useful.

Summary, the game is fun!  Great job to Swarovski and the app developers!  Also, check out the Swarovski Refract App that launched near October 9, 2011.’  Can”t wait to see future FREE Swarovski Apps!

 

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Crystal Exclusive Polar Bear Key Ring

I have recently learned about an exclusive Swarovski Polar Bear Key Ring produced by our favorite crystal brand.

Swarovski Polar Bear Key Ring

This key ring is like other key rings in that it is 20mm in diameter, features the usual silver chain and closing clasp for your keys.  Its packaging is a black velvet-like bag.

However, this polar bear key ring was produced to coincide with the production of the Swarovski SCS Siku Polar Bear, the 2011 SCS Swarovski AE.

I do not think that we’ll be seeing many of them.  Our reliable sources indicate that the Swarovski Polar Bear key ring was available only in Hong Kong.  It was a Gift with Purchase at a Private Shopping Night.  The Swarovski assigned identification number is 1145200.

Just as a reminder, the Swarovski Polar Bear Siku is only available to Swarovski SCS members through the end of 2011.  And the availability is the same for the Swarovski SCS Polar Bear Cubs, Crystal Moonlight and Swarovski SCS Polar Bear Cubs, White Opal done at the end of 2011.

If you are planning to collect your Swarovski SCS Loyalty Gift, in 2013 be sure and make your purchase online at the Swarovski shoppe or from an authorized Swarovski agent and confirm that they have used YOUR SCS # for the Swarovski Annual Edition redemption.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Longwang, the Crystal Myriad Dragon

The Crystal Myriad line produced by Swarovski is a very elite group of sculptures.  The Crystal Myriad Dragon Longwang is no exception.

Swarovski Dragon Crystal Myriad Longwang
Swarovski Crystal Myriad Longwang

The Swarovski Longwang is now shown on the crystal brand’s web site, as the actual launch must be very soon.  The company displayed the Swarovski Longwang at the SCS event in California just last week, and in a Swarovski event summary posted to the Kristall Buzz a few days ago, there were actual photos of the sculpture!

Swarovski’s description of the  states that ‘Longwang’ means ‘King of the Dragons’.  This crystal myriad is certainly king!  Longwang is a Swarovski NLE Dragon of 888 units (The number 8 is considered very lucky, so it is likely that this had something to do with the max production.)  Longwang contains over 66,0000 hand-set crystals using the Pointiage technique.  The polished crystal base of Longwang dragon represents the sea, the dragon’s natural habitat.

The Swarovski system # for Longwang is 1096974.  The Swarovski designer is Heinz Tabertshofer.  This dragon masterpiece is about 11.5″ wide and 14″ tall.  Swarovski indicates that the production time for the Crystal Myriad Longwang is nearly 500 hours!

On the crystal giant’s web site,  the Swarovski Longwang used to be found in a video that shows the Crystal Myriad revolving, zooming in on the meticulous craftsmanship of the figurine.  Here is a video from Crystal Palace:

Our local retailer stated that pre-payment is required and that the delivery date may be 8 to 12 months away.  They originally indicated a price of $26,000, but the Swarovski site shows it at $20,000, so this might be pleasant news for Swarovski crystal fanatics who are considering to purchase it.  For me, not a chance .anything over $17,000 must be drivable or inhabitable!

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Crystal Fanatics provide Swarovski Event Summary

A few of our Swarovski crystal fanatics clients were fortunate to attend the Swarovski event signing last weekend and have allowed us to pass that along to our Kristall Buzz readers!

The recent Swarovski signing in LA’s hottest hotel, the Sofitel on October 29, 2011 featured Swarovski designers Anton Hirzinger and Heinz Tabertshofer.

About 300 Swarovski collectors attended the signing during the day and were warmly welcomed by Swarovski staff.  Just inside was a very large display of the gold tone Fortune Cookie introduced in 2010 and collectors were encouraged to take one home, compliments of Swarovski.  Attendees entertained themselves playing Jeopardy for crystal prizes.  A very nice highlight was that collectors were given clear crystal stars and decorative crystals to enhance them.  This will be a nice remembrance of the day with Swarovski.

On display was the Crystal Myriad Matang, Asian Elephant, NLE of 300, and the Crystal Myriad Longwang Dragon, NLE of 888.  Longwang, shown below, is Chinese for ‘King of the Dragons’.  (Isn’t that clever….2012 is the Chinese Year of the Dragon and Swarovski has created a Crystal Myriad for it!)  Heinz Tabertshofer is the designer of both of these magnificent Crystal Myriad sculptures.

Swarovski Crystal Myriad Longwang
Swarovski Crystal Myriad Dragon, NLE 888 Sculptures

 

 

 

A Swarovski outlet center was located near the hotel; so many collectors could not resist a trip to find the special retired treasure they had been looking for.

The evening VIP cocktail party reception and dinner event was spectacular. The bar was graced by an ice sculpture of the Swarovski Polar Bear. SCS members were recognized for special attributes, like youngest and oldest in attendance, traveling more miles to the event and some other things.

 

 

Swarovski Siku – Ice Sculpture Polar Bear

After the comical Lucille Ball and other Hollywood look-alike performances ended and near time to go home, dinner attendees were given a set of the new Swarovski Wine Glasses.

Sounds to me like the event was packed with Swarovski fanatics having a great time and that they were lucky to be there!

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Crystal Christmas by Swarovski…Grand Debut at Harrods

November 5 marked the debut of Harrodâs Swarovski Crystal Christmas!  Can you believe it’S  50 days til Christmas?

Inspired by Swarovski, the large department store has a seven-window display featuring a glitzy woodland landscape with dazzling trees drenched with Swarovski gems.

Harrods Swarovski Wedding Gown
Harrods Swarovski Wedding Gown

When Harrods and Swarovski joined forces, nothing but the finest should be expected.  The fascinating forest scene features mannequins hanging from trees along with wintry branches and garland.

‘We are really excited to be part of A Crystal Christmas, Tamara Ralph said. ‘When I was asked to create my ultimate Swarovski gown, I was instantly inspired by the 1920’s era. I wanted to create a show-stopping and intricate piece that oozed glamour.’  The wedding dress contains approximately 152,000 Swarovski crystal stones.   The gown workforce consisted of more than 25 couturiers working hundreds of hours to completion.

Swarovski will have a pop-up store in four of the seven windows, selling jewelry, including that from the Atelier Swarovski collection.

Check out the display windows.

Harrods Swarovski Window Display
Swarovski Harrods Christmas Window Scene
Swarovski Harrods Christmas Window Scene

I personally thought that the display seemed a bit dark, missing the true meaning of Christmas.  After writing this article, I revisited the web site where I found the news and found LOTS of comments from readers who seemed quite turned off by the display.  Some adjectives and phrases posted by readers include scary, bizarre, depressing  inducing nightmares  and creepy.

Sometimes pictures don’t do justice to the actual live display. I’d be interested to see it personally, but really cannot seeing as it is on a different continent than I live.

In any case, I hope that it is the success that Swarovski and Harrods are hoping for.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski News: Swarovski Orange Shine Panther, NLE of 888, Sold Out!

Today, we received the official Swarovski news that the Swarovski Orange Shine Panther is now SOLD OUT!  The Orange Shine Panther publicly launched August 29, 2011.  This Swarovski Panther was a limited edition figurine (Swarovski NLE) of 888 units.  The orange wild cat, in a typical cat pose, retailed for $1110.

Despite it being another limited edition panther, I expected a quick sell out, like the Swarovski  Black Panther.  The Swarovski Limited Edition Black Panther (Swarovski NLE) was limited to 500 units and retailed for $960 when it was briefly available at the online Swarovski shoppe in April, 2010.

The Orange Shine Panther and Black Panther are among Swarovski crystal feline friends, .Swarovski also produced a clear Panther figurine, that retired in 2011 and a moroda Panther figurine which is presently available in the Swarovski shoppe. The Kristall Buzz has featured a number of articles about Swarovski Panthers:

I’m wondering what the crystal brand is thinking.

  • Is another colored, limited edition Swarovski panther figurine in the works?
  • Does the extended time available indicate that Swarovski collectors did not like the orange-shine color?
  • Does the extended time available imply that Swarovski collectors might not be interested to purchase another limited edition panther in a different color?

Now, if feline fanatics want to purchase the Swarovski Orange Panther, they will have to turn to the secondary market or online auctions.  At Crystal Exchange America, the Black Panther and Orange Shine Panther, as well as other Swarovski NLE figurines, can be found in the Limited Edition Swarovski category of the store.  Or collectors can use the powerful store search feature, keyword panther to restrict the search results to Swarovski panthers.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Magnet Glenn the Ghost wishes Swarovski Crystal Fanatics Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to crystal fanatics around the globe from Glenn the Ghost (a Swarovski magnet) and the Kristall Buzz!

Happy Halloween to Swarovski Crystal Fanatics

Crystal  collectors may be less familiar with Glenn the Ghost, or perhaps even wondering what it is or even if it is genuine Swarovski crystal.  This ghost is indeed a Swarovski product.

Glenn the Ghost is a Swarovski magnet about 1.5″ tall.  Swarovski produced approximately 10 magnet / magnet sets from 2004 – 2005. They retailed $32 – $50 per unit. These magnets were in the Swarovski Crystal Moments product line.

Swarovski Glenn the Ghost and Swarovski My Little Halloween Friends
  • Swarovski Glenn the Ghost Magnet was assigned article numbers 9400 000 013 / 689 085.  The Swarovski designer for Glenn the Ghost Magnet was Elke Kumar.  This Swarovski ghost is Crystal CAL in color.
  • Swarovski My Little Halloween Friends was assigned article numbers 9400 000 015 / 698 599.  The Swarovski designer for My Little Halloween Friends was Keiko Arai. This Swarovski Halloween set includes a black cat, Crystal CAL Ghost, orange jack-o-lantern (pumpkin), and a black bat.

Swarovski Magnets not pictured include:

  • Swarovski My Little Hearts Magnets was assigned article numbers 9400 000 025 / 693 633.  A team was credited for the design of My Little Hearts Magnets.  This set of Swarovski hearts includes 3 red ones and one clear one.
  • Swarovski Ernie the Elephant Magnet was assigned article numbers 9462 000 006 / 681 541.  The Swarovski designer for Ernie the Elephant Magnet was Eva Maria Ried.  This Swarovski elephant is Crystal CAL in color.
  • Swarovski South Sea Magnets was assigned article numbers 9460 200 026 / 680 835.  The Swarovski designer for South Sea Magnets was Elke Kumar. This set of Swarovski sea creatures includes a light blue angelfish, a Crystal CAL sea horse, a pink octopus, and a yellow butterflyfish.
  • Swarovski Gina the Giraffe Magnet was assigned article numbers 9400 000 051 / 681 539.  A team was credited for the design of Gina the Giraffe Magnet.  This Swarovski giraffe is yellow/topaz in color.
  • Swarovski My Little Journey Magnets was assigned article numbers 9460 200 009 / 663 048.  A team was credited for the design of My Little Journey Magnets.  This set of Swarovski companions includes a yellow starfish, a Crystal CAL airplane, a Crystal CAL cruise ship, and a green palm tree.
  • Swarovski My Little Polar Bears Magnets was assigned article numbers 9400 000 037/ 718 992.  The Swarovski designer for My Little Polar Bears was Keiko Arai. This set of Swarovski Polar Bear set includes a mother polar bear and polar bear cub in Crystal CAL.
  • Swarovski My Little Sheep Magnets was assigned article numbers 9400 000 036 / 718 987.  The Swarovski designer for My Little Sheep was Eva Maria Reid. This set of Swarovski Sheep set consists of one black sheep and one Crystal CAL sheep.
  • Swarovski Arctic Dream Magnets was assigned article numbers 9400 000 037/ 718 992.  The Swarovski designer for Arctic Dream was Eva Maria Reid. This set of Swarovski Arctic Dream set includes a Crystal CAL iceberg, a Crystal CAL bear, a royal blue sea lion, and a light blue seal pup.

At Crystal Exchange America, we do not see much activity on the Crystal Moments Magnets.  However, when we do have them available, they can be found in the Crystal Moments category of our online Swarovski store, or by using the search feature keyword magnet.

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski Kris Bear and Swarovski Missy Mo Friendship #4

The crystal critters have made another public appearance  Missy Mo and Kris Bear have finalized their costume choice to wear Trick or Treating on Halloween night.  And of course, the paparazzi was there for the big announcement!

Swarovski Lovlots Missy Mo and Swarovski Kris Bear

The shot below shows Swarovski Kris Bear and Swarovski Missy Mo dressed and ready to go. The Swarovski crystal figurines revealed that they will be going out as Santa and his Elf Kris.  Missy Mo is decked out in a red Santa suit.  Kris will be carrying a Christmas tree, just as every good elf would do.

Swarovski Santa Mo and Swarovski Christmas Kris Bear 2011

The Swarovski Santa Mo is a limited edition figurine available only in 2011.  This Lovlots limited edition figurine and can be purchased in the Swarovski store at a cost of $65.   It can be identified as Swarovski article numbers # 9100 000 336 / 1096024.

The Swarovski Christmas Kris Bear (2011) limited edition figurine available only in 2011.  Christmas Kris Bear is a delightful bear figurine carrying a traditional holiday tree.  This limited edition Kris Bear figurine and can be purchased in the Swarovski store at a cost of $100.  It can be identified as Swarovski article numbers # 9400 000 315 and # 1091815.

Swarovski Santa Mo can be found at Crystal Exchange America website: www.CrystalExchange.com .  Look in the ‘Limited Edition Swarovski’ category of the store to find it and other limited edition Swarovski Mo Cows.

Swarovski crystal fanatics should stay tuned to the Kristall Buzz to see what mischief Kris and Missy will be into after they collect and munch on all their candy!

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America

Swarovski News: Swarovski Arctic Hare at SCS Online Event Today!

October 27 marks a special online event at the Swarovski website!  The Swarovski Arctic Hare is available to purchase directly from the crystal brand’s online shoppe for a limited 24-hour window (or while stocks last).

The Swarovski Arctic Hare is a crystal moonlight rabbit figurine.  It is a Swarovski crystal figurine normally available for purchase at Swarovski events by SCS members who attend a store reception.  The crystal bunny is about 1.5″ x 2″ in size and retails for $110.  This Swarovski crystal figurine was designed by Anton Hirzinger.

The Arctic Hare is also symbolic in that it marks the Year of the Rabbit: 2011 in the Chinese calendar.

In 2011, the crystal brand released two other Swarovski Hare figurines:

If you are a hare fanatic, you may be interested to purchase all 3 of the crystal hare figurines.  Remember, the Swarovski Arctic Hare can only be purchased by SCS members for the online event.  But once they hit the online auctions or secondary market, anyone can purchase them.  To find other similar figurines on the secondary market, you can visit the web site of Crystal Exchange America (www.CrystalExchange.com).  Use the powerful store search feature with the term bunny, rabbit, or hare to find exactly what you are looking for!

Swarovski Article posted by Angie / Crystal Exchange America