A youngster who would grow up to be one of the most famous jewelers in history was born on October 24, 1862, in the town of Georgental, which at the time was located in the Czech Republic.
Or the world’s most accomplished forger of precious jewelry. His name was Daniel. Since the youngster was a little child, he had the opportunity to observe his glassmaker father at work.
The world has traditionally placed a high value on Bohemian glass, and the equipment necessary for working with it were once found in virtually every home in the Czech Republic.
Swarovski made the decision as a young man to travel the world, and he settled in Paris, where he received his education as an engineer.
There, he was exposed to a variety of specialized fields of study such as chemistry, physics, and mechanics. In the year 1883, he was transported to the World Electrotechnical Exhibition.
There, the young man became familiar with the advanced achievements of progress for his time, and he pondered the idea that it would be wonderful, in general, to process glass with the assistance of electric current.
Therefore, the grinding machine that was invented by Swarovski’s inventor eight years ago originated from this idea.
Crystal could be processed in vast quantities, and the quality of the job was of the highest conceivable standard thanks to his brilliant idea.
It was there in Paris where Daniel met his future wife Marie, and it was via her family that Daniel was able to establish his company.
In the beginning, Swarovski manufactured unnamed jewelry to order and established themselves in the region of Tyrol.
He reasoned correctly (and fairly astutely) that there was no use in him competing with the Bohemian craftspeople with his innovation because he already had an advantage over them.
The endeavor got off to a good start. The Swarovski stones were identical to actual diamonds in every way, but the price of the Swarovski stones was ten times lower.
Not only did Daniel Swarovski develop a breakthrough technology for cutting and polishing glass, but he also made a genuine revolution in the way people think.
This is something that must be acknowledged. The concept of creating synthetic diamonds or precise copies of natural diamonds was, for the most part, not a novel one.
In the 18th century, there was already one such craftsman working under the name of Georges Frederic Strass. He came before Daniel.
In the annals of history, he is known as a man who was skilled in the art of jewelry counterfeiting. As a point of interest, the name “strass” was given to these types of grasses in his honor.
But Strass was a renegade, and Swarovski not only did not try to hide the fact that his “diamonds” were false; but, he used that fact as his own advantage.
Following in the footsteps of the Austrian fashionistas, Swarovski’s masterpieces (he eventually named the factory after himself and formed the company) were admired in Paris and St. Petersburg. It turned out to be a success!
The fact that the master’s clientele no longer consisted solely of aristocracy allowed for an increase in the rate at which he received orders. Every single attempt by other experts to replicate the work of the Czech jeweler was a complete and utter failure.
Even in modern times, everyone in the world believes that the distinctive cut is where the secret to Swarovski gems is concealed, but in reality, the key rests in a special recipe for melting glass.
Marlene Dietrich and Coco Chanel, Michael Jackson and Brian Ferry, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent were all huge fans of imitation jewelry in the 20th century, and they did not hide their affection for it.
Today, the Swarovski jewelry brand is unrivaled in the industry, and its stunning pieces are so versatile that they can decorate the hands of an everyday teacher as well as the necks of A-list celebrities.
It was thanks to this one individual that the entire world was finally persuaded that appearance is more important than actual substance, and that not everything that glitters is necessarily made of gold.
It’s possible that some people may assert that this is a sham and a hoax, but as you already know, the winners aren’t evaluated!