Swarovski is an Austrian company best known for the production of precisely-cut crystal glass beads. Swarovski crystal beads come in a variety of shapes and colors and with a variety of different finishes, such as the Aurora Borealis.
History
Swarovski introduced the Aurora Borealis crystal bead in 1956. These special crystals were named after the Northern Lights---or the Aurora Borealis---because of a special coating that causes them to reflect a multitude of colors. Shortened to AB, the abbreviation appears as a suffix after the name of the bead. "Crystal AB" or "Garnet AB" are two examples.
Application
Through a steam treatment, a special coating is chemically bonded to the outer surface of a crystal bead. While a standard Swarovski crystal already possesses strong reflective properties, a bead with an AB coating acts somewhat like a mirror while reflecting a rainbow of colors. The coating is typically only applied to one side of the crystal so the transparent portion of the bead is still visible.
Types
Swarovski crystals with an AB coating come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. The bicone crystal bead is the most popular. Colors include, but are not limited to, jet black, hyacinth, aqua, emerald, rose, peridot, fuchsia, jonquil, topaz and velvet.
0 comments:
Post a Comment