Feb 062013
 

Last year we heard rumors of reorganization of the product lines that they classify crystal figures into.  Examples of such product lines include Silver Crystal, Crystal Moments, Lovlots, Soulmates, and so forth.  But now, in 2013, some of those very well known names are a part of history as new product line names have officially rolled out.

There are 4 main product lines: Swarovski Symbols, Swarovski Characters, Swarovski Nature, and Swarovski Art and Statement.  There are further groupings within each of the crystal product lines.

What has to be the biggest surprise is the disappearance of the Silver Crystal name that Swarovski has become so famous for, and even trademarked.  Silver Crystal is now Crystal Nature.  Crystal Paradise has been replaced with Mother Nature.  And Soulmates has been replaced with Contemporary Nature.  These 3 groups: Swarovski Crystal Nature, Swarovski Mother Nature, and Swarovski Contemporary Nature, comprise the product line Swarovski Nature.

Swarovski Characters is a product line that is easier to decipher and understand.  Swarovski Characters consists of: Swarovski Disney figurines, Swarovski Hello Kitty figurines, and all the Swarovski Lovlots figurines.  The Lovlots group consists of: Limited Edition Mos, Emotis, Kris Bears, Bo Bears, Happy Ducks, and the families of Lovlots Pioneers, Lovlots Gang of dogs, Lovlots House of Cats, Lovlots City Park, Lovlots Circus, Lovlots Sealife, Lovlots Birds on Broadway, and new in 2013, the Lovlots Dinosaurs and Lovlots Erika and Elliot.

Swarovski Symbols seems to be more of a catch-all group for the balance of the more affordable crystal offerings.  The symbols group features 3 groups that seem fairly self explanatory:  Universal Symbols (formerly known as crystal moments), Seasonal Symbols (where it seems Swarovski is going to separate offerings that go with spring/Easter, and Christmas), and lastly Asian Symbols (for ornaments and zodiac figurines).

Swarovski Art & Statement to me, simply means things I cannot afford!  The only group in this product line is crystal myriad.  Swarovski is also using this group for other numbered limited editions.

Swarovski discusses this more in the SCS member magazine that has been recently arriving in mailboxes.  The article is on pages 30-31 in ‘ask Ann-Sophie’.

Part of me is wondering if Swarovski is dropping the term ‘Silver Crystal’ due to the change of Swarovski’s new formula….no lead, no silver?  Or perhaps that was just a coincidence?

So, prepare yourself for changes within publications, web sites, or software to see how they may deal with the changes in the Swarovski product lines!



Mar 162012
 

Have you heard of the holiday “Pi Day”?  It was a “new” one for me, despite having 3 school-age math enthusiasts in the family. Pi, more commonly recognized as π, is an irrational number, that roughly translates to 3.1415926535…  So now, it may be more clear that Pi Day was 3/14/2012 …. Wednesday, March 14th.   My math enthusiasts created π shirts, memorized many sequential digits in π (about 200!), and made π food treats.

Swarovski Crystal Moments Dessert Figurines

Retired Crystal Moments Dessert Figurines by Swarovski

So wouldn’t it be appropriate for Swarovski fanatics to celebrate with a yummy slice of Swarovski Pie?  I don’t believe that there are any Swarovski Pie figurines, but there are some dessert figurines in the Swarovski Crystal Moments product line that have an equally good imaginary taste to crystal fanatics.  These sweet desserts include:

  1. Swarovski Ice Cream Sundae – 9460 000 046 / 182 046.  This figurine was designed by Anton Poppinger.  The Ice Cream Sundae was produced from 1994 through 1998.  It was a part of the “Childhood Dreams” group and originally retailed for $25. The Swarovski Ice Cream Sunday is a crystal goblet with ice cream topped with a metal umbrella and a straw for sipping.  The Crystal Moments Ice Cream Sunday typically sells in the $50 – $70 range on the secondary market.
  2. Swarovski Piece of Cake – 9460 000 026 / 174 106.  This figurine was designed by Gabriele Stamey.  The Piece of Cake was produced from 1993 through 2000.  It was a part of the “In Familiar Surroundings” group and originally retailed for $25.  The Swarovski Piece of Cake is a crystal slice of cake with a metal fork and pottery-type decorated plate.  The Crystal Moments Piece of Cake typically sells in the $40 – $60 range on the secondary market.
  3. Swarovski Fruit Bowl – 9460 000 069 / 200 226.  This figurine was designed by Edith Mair.  The Fruit Bowl  was produced from 1996 through 1999.  It was a part of the “In Familiar Surroundings” group and originally retailed for $40. The Swarovski Fruit Bowl is a crystal bowl with three pieces of metal fruit: a banana, a pear, and grapes .  The Crystal Moments Fruit Bowl typically sells in the $40 – $60 range on the secondary market.

So if you are looking for any of these retired Crystal Moments figurines, be sure to check out the Crystal Exchange America website, and look in the Crystal Moments category (on the left side of the screen)

Mar 052012
 

Just last week, Crystal Exchange America sold a Swarovski HTF crystal figurine….. the Swarovski Painter’s Palette.  This unique item sold for $100, a price significantly higher than the original MSRP at the time of retirement.

Swarovksi Artist Palette for Painters

Swarovski Painter's Palette

The crystal artist palette is a cute item.  The palette is clear crystal with 7 different colored stones to represent various colors of paint.  The paint splotches are red, green, blue, yellow, pink and clear (for white).  The palette contains the Swarovski swan logo on the back side. Included with the Swarovski Artist Palette is a separate figurine for the Swarovski Paintbrush.  This part has a clear handle and a frosted component for the brush bristles.  The paint brush does not contain any logo.

The Swarovski Painter’s Palette was produced by the crystal brand for a relatively short period of time: 2005 to 2006.  The figure was designed by Keiko Arai.  The Swarovski identification #’s for the  Painter’s Palette are 9460 000 179 and 680 850.  The crystal figurine’s MSRP was $35 during the production years.  This artist palette was a part of the “First Steps” theme group, which is in the Swarovski Crystal Moments product line.

Another well-known creation by Keiko Arai is the 2011 Christmas Ornament.  This Swarovski designer is also credited with about 35 other designs from 2004 through 2012.

Crystal Exchange America has many retired figurines from the Swarovski Crystal Moments product line available.  They can be found in their online store in the Crystal Moments category by navigating in the menu on the left side of the screen.



Oct 312011
 

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

Happy Halloween

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 Magnets

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”.