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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Swarovski 2016 Spring/Summer Launch Presentation

Boy was that ever fun, and inspiring!

I was invited to a Swarovski launch presentation this morning at my favorite sparkle wholesaler, Rhinestones Unlimited.  I have purchased most of the flatback crystals I use in my dance wear from them for many years, as well as a some things I have used in my beadwork, and they are great to work with!  They write a blog too, and here is a link to their post about new flat back colors available any day now.

The presentation by the knowledgeable Swarovski Rep Debbi Simon (a fine artist who was a Bead & Button employee for a time... you might know her book about crystals and adhesives called Crystal Chic) included an introduction to a tool that some of you might find very useful.  It is an iPad app that is essentially an interactive catalog of all available Swarovski beads, pearls, fancy stones, sew-on jewels... all of the over 16,000 items in their current inventory.  I downloaded it (free from the app store) and plan to play with it further this evening. It has several functions.  Fair warning, it took about 30 minutes to download it completely.

The app includes tutorials which help you understand how to use the catalog, filter products, find product details, and search a filter.  Then it also teaches you how to use the selections feature to choose products, group them to look at colors and finishes together, and even copy and arrange them as you see fit, maybe into the necklace or garment embellishment of your dreams. A very powerful design tool.  Pretty cool!  And once you have your selections made, it will make you an ordering list. Yikes.  It could be dangerous to the wallet, methinks!

In addition to learning about this cool app, we got to see and touch a wonderful inspiration look book, and receive a print version of the book, as well as the entire print catalog of available Swarovski products, featuring the new shapes, colors and finishes.  We were also given back issues of Sand, a Swarovski magazine of sorts, full of inspiring designs and designer profiles from past releases.



I really liked the pastel powder finished crystal pearls and matching jewels, which reminded me of E.H. Ashley Ultra Color finishes.  Plus of course, samples!  So I can show you what I saw.  Here's the sexy box...


And the cool products inside!  I love the pastel pearls, matching chatons, and Metallic Sunshine!  I have to say Blush Rose is not my favorite, but then it would be fair to say I am not very subtle most of the time. I like color purity and vibrancy, but it's nice there are pretties for every taste.


Rhinestones Unlimited host and owner Angela Peery and her staff provided tasty treats, and we all got a goody bag, which included...


...yummy checkerboard jewels and beads, plus a lovely new crystal pendant called Lotus, (top) which to me is an elegant sand dollar, and gorgeous!  PLUS...


...A bead mat with a measuring calibration of the left side.  Astonishing to me, as I mark all my mats in inches across the bottom with a permanent marker.  Apparently I am not the only one who likes this idea.  AND, the Rhinestones Unlimited version of the crystal katana, but without the blister-producing inset stone, and a narrower profile which suits my small hands better.

The best part of the day for me was the very inspiring imagery I got to feast on.  New ideas are floating happily in my brain.  I almost wanted to skip the Bead Dreams work for today and go try out some of them.  But that will have to wait.  Loved it!  Thanks for the invitation Angela, and for the great presentation, Debbi!

2 comments:

  1. Great report Marsha! I hope Swarovski decided to sell their bead mat...I like that a lot! Jeanne Evans

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