SWAROVSKI

In 1862, Daniel Swarovski was born in northern Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), the son of a glass-cutter. It was in his father's factory that a young Swarovski served his apprenticeship, becoming skilled in the art of glass-cutting. In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of crystal glass. The world-famous Swarovski company established a crystal cutting factory in Wattens, Austria in 1895, to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes that Daniel Swarovski patented. Today, Swarovski employs over 23,000 people in 18 countries, with an annual turnover in excess of 2.6 billion Euros in 2010. To create crystal glass that lets light refract in a rainbow spectrum, Swarovski coats some of its products with special metallic chemical coatings. Aurora Borealis, or "AB", is one of the most popular coatings on its flatback crystals, and gives the surface a rainbow appearance. Source: Wikipedia FREE POSTAGE & PACKING on all UK orders over £ 35 GBP