Daniel Swarovski
(1862 - 1956)
Daniel Swarovski was born on October 24, 1862, in Georgethal, Bohemia, in what is known today as the Czech Republic. Daniel learned the craft of glass cutting at a young age from his father.
Swarovski invented a machine that could cut paste jewelry stones with remarkable speed and precision.
In 1883, Daniel Swarovski visited the International Electric Exhibition in Vienna. New technology presented by inventors like Edison, Siemens, and Schuckert served him as inspiration. In 1892, Swarovski successfully applied for a patent for a machine that produced automated high quality crystal stones that were cut mechanically and polished to precision.
On October 1, 1895, Daniel Swarovski moved to Wattens, Austria to set up a factory that would specialize in the industrial production of cut crystal stones. The company’s name was Swarovski & Co. and was co-founded by Daniel Swarovski, his brother-in-law Franz Weis and Armand Kosmann.
In 1908, Daniel Swarovski and his sons Wilhelm, Friedrich, and Alfred experimented with different methods to produce pure crystal. Within three years they had refined their methods and were producing crystals of flawless brilliance. In 1917, Swarovski began producing grinding wheels needed for cutting crystal jewelry stones. The process was put out in the market under the trade name “Tyrolit.”
In 1925, Swarovski began experimenting with glass reflecting elements for road safety applications. These experiments appeared in the market in 1950 under the “Swareflex” trademark.
In 1931, Swarovski began manufacturing “trimmings “which featured the company's crystal gemstones prepared in a variety of ready-to-use formats for edging, hems, and borders. Also known as rhinestones, Swarovski's gemstones were of such high quality that they were often mistaken for real diamonds.
In the 1930s, Wilhelm Swarovski, began work on a prototype for a pair of field binoculars. Wilhelm finished his prototype field glasses in 1935, developing new grinding techniques for the field glasses' hand-ground and polished optical components. After World War II, in 1945, Swarovski began producing eyeglass lenses. The eyeglass lenses became an important part of the company's operations and remained a key component of its catalog until the early 1980s.
Swarovski also launched an initiative to train opticians for the Austrian market, founding the Industrial and Vocational School for Optics, Glass, Iron, and Metal, which later became the Trade School for Opticians, producing a large share of the country's opticians.
By 1948, production of optical glass had outgrown the company's Wattens glass-cutting headquarters. The company opened a new facility in Absam, forming the operation as the subsidiary Swarovski Optik KG in 1949. While eyeglass lenses represented the largest share of the new subsidiary's production, Swarovski Optik launched production of its first pair of binoculars, the 7 x 24, which was quickly acclaimed by Europe's hunting enthusiasts.
In the 1950s, Swarovski's reflective glass operations had also begun to grow and demand for the Swareflex extensive. Meanwhile, Swarovski's Tyrolit operations were also outpacing its Wattens production capacity, and those operations were moved to a new production plant, in Schwaz, Austria, in 1950.
In the 1950s, Daniel Swarovski's grandson Manfred took over the family company's direction. Manfred brought the company into a new direction and new acclaim, when, working with designer Christian Dior the company created its famed multicolored Aurora Borealis crystal stones. The collaboration with Dior marked the beginning of a new era of close cooperation between the crystal company and the world's fashion industry.
The company's international reputation increased after the launch of a new range of fiberglass-reinforced grinding wheels, launched in 1952. In 1960, the company opened its first manufacturing plant outside of Austria, founding the grinding tool production facility Abrasivos Austromex in Mexico City, Mexico. The company opened a new foreign plant in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1968. This expansion coincided with the launch of a new line of resinoid bonded diamond grinding tools the year earlier.
Swarovski continued to build its several businesses through the 1990s. Tyrolit, which had continued to roll out new products, such as laser-welded diamond tools targeted to the stone industry launched in 1984, also continued its international development. After launching a new production plant in San Luis, Argentina, the company moved into North America, buying a share of Diamond Products, in the United States. In 1997, Tyrolit cemented its North American position with the acquisition of Bay State/Sterling Company, based in Massachusetts, then the number two leading manufacturer of bonded grinding tools in the U.S. market. Tyrolit also built up its European position through the decade, opening a new Stans, Austria plant for high-precision grinding tools in 1992, acquiring the Italian diamond tools producer Vincent in 1993, and capping the decade with the acquisition of HS Veglio S.p.A, a metal bonded diamond tools manufacturer based in Italy.
Swarovski Optik meanwhile had continued to build an international reputation for its high-quality binoculars, telescopes, and gun sites. After discontinuing production of eyeglass lenses in 1983, the company began expanding its range, adding hand-held night-vision binoculars and pocket binoculars during the decade. In 1991, the subsidiary moved into the U.S. market, founding Swarovski Optik North America. Swarovski continued to roll out new products, such as laser range finders, leading to the company's patented LRS product and a rifle scope with integrated range finder, a market first. In the mid-1990s, the company was encouraged to begin designing binoculars for a new market; that of bird-watching enthusiasts. The company rolled out its own line of bird-watching binoculars in 1999.
In 1965, the company began producing crystal chandelier components, dressing up such famed chandeliers as those in the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City and France's Palace of Versailles. Two years later, Swarovski began producing a new range of natural and artificial gemstones, including cubit zirconia. The company developed the first mechanical process for cutting cubit zirconia by the end of the decade.
The 1970s marked the beginning of a new era for Swarovski. The first of a collector's series, a tiny crystal mouse, was launched in 1976. The mouse and the many other animals were known as "The Swarovski Silver Crystal" series. This series brought the Swarovski name into the consumer world for the first time. Many of the figurines in this line were designed by Max Schreck, who worked directly with Daniel Swarovski. As of 1995, the principal designers of the figurines are Adi Stocker, Gabriele Stamey, Michael Stamey, Martin Zendron, Anton Hirzinger, Claudia Schneiderbauer, and Edith Maier. The growing international demand for the company's crystal animals also led to the establishment of the Swarovski Collectors Society which included memberships of more than 300,000 members. The designers are highly regarded amongst the Swarovski Collectors Society (SCS).
In 1977, Swarovski launched its own line of jewelry. This move led to the creation of a new subsidiary and brand, the Daniel Swarovski line of jewelry and accessories in 1989. The exclusive items designed by leading Italian designers consisted of accessories, handbags, jewelry and belts. The company also changed its logo, formerly featuring the Tyrolean edelweiss, to a more elegant swan symbol.
In 1995, Nadja Swarovski joined the company’s New York branch. The new generation of Swarovski’s sought partnership and sponsorships of famous designers such as Anand Jon, Alexander McQueen, Philip Treacy and others who helped put the Swarovski name in the rank of global haute couture.
In 1999, Swarovski is part of the Signity joint venture with Swiss gemstone seller Golay Buchel & Cie., to produce genuine and manmade gemstones, cubit zirconia, and similar products with worldwide operations including factories in the United States, Mexico, Italy, Brazil, Argentina, and elsewhere.
The Hundred Year (1895-1995) Anniversary of the Swarovski Company was celebrated with the opening of a spectacular crystal grotto in their original hometown of Wattens in Austria known as Swarovski Kristallwelten or Swarovski's World of Crystal.
Swarovski employs more than 12,000 people and still remains exclusively owned and directed by the founding Swarovski family.
