This, That, and the Other: A Rose by any other Name

Well - Swarovski has done it again. They have changed their brand name for the beads and pendants and rhinestones.

You may remember that a few years ago - Swarovski re-branded themselves Swarovski Crystallized Elements. We whined. We complained. So did others. I'm fairly certain that our complaining alone didn't do the trick - it is probably more like it was such a mouthful that no one could manage it. They shared some stories with us of supplying the crystal elements at no charge for some Hollywood red carpet events - crystals for Oscar gowns and such, and then have the stars, when asked about the dress, blow the line about the "Crystallized by Swarovski." You could argue that maybe they weren't using the brightest stars, but you can also argue about if trained professionals can't get the lines right ... .

So - they have simplified it to "Swarovski Elements."That covers a lot of territory - as it now not only includes the beads and pendants, the rhinestones and hotfix stones, but also the components that are for use in lighting, home decor and manufacturing.

I think this will be an improvement - 'cause I was having a lot of trouble with calling them "Crystallized." As I said when we went to Swarovski headquarters - "I want a noun. 'Crystallized' is a verb."

As Shakespeare said - "A rose by any other name, would smell as sweet" - and it really doesn't matter what you call Swarovski Elements - they are the most drop dead gorgeous crystal beads, stones, pendants, etc.

Segueing right along, I've always had an interest in big, flashy faceted stones (as does, apparently - the owner of this site- Famous Diamonds) - and so, it stands to reason that I am interested in the historical gems and their stories. This would be the "named" gems - the few, the fabulous, the famous. The Hope, the Taylor-Burton, the Kohnioor, etc. If you share this interest, you may also want to check out MuseumDiamonds.com. This gentleman puts huge amounts of effort and time into researching a stone, and then cutting an accurate replica in cubic zirconia. I think this is a great idea. I always wondered why museum gift shops didn't offer more replicas of the the gems and jewelry on display, like this one.

Apparently - it can be fairly hard to really get the specs on a named gemstone - the owners are not too inclined to let people handle them and take measurements. Imagine. If I owned one of those babies - I'd never take it off! I'd be gardening and walking the dog in it!

At least we can make our own fabulous jewelry without having to spend an empire to do it! Not that some of us don't try . . . .