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REVIEW: Preciosa Czech Cut Crystals
Thank you Kathy, printed that out for reference!
Marilee |
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This is wonderful to know, Kathy. I was very tempted to buy some of those Preciosa
Crystals today when I was at Shipwreck, but I hesitated, not really knowing for sure about the comparative quality. Next time, I will buy with confidence. I just love your reviews. They keep me from making costly mistakes. -- Jalynne - Keeper of the Quilt for ME club list Queen Gypsy (snail mail available upon request) see what i've been up to at www.100megsfree4.com/jalynne "Kathy N-V" wrote in message . giganews.com... Short Version: Oh boy. Someone at Swarovski is probably up nights, worrying about what those wily Czechs are up to, and if they aren't, they should be. Long Version: I adore Swarovski Austrian Crystals, and spend a ton of money on them. In order to save a few bucks, I have tried cheaper crystals in the past, but the Chinese "Celestial Crystals" are a waste of my money, IMHO. Celestial Crystals are imperfectly cut, not adequately finished, and don't have the deep down sparkle of Austrian Crystals. However, the last time I went to the Czech Republic, I saw cut crystal chandeliers that were every bit as nice as any Austrian chandeliers I had ever seen. It got me thinking that if the Czechs ever decided to make cut crystal beads, the Austrians would be in trouble. To experiment, I bought a variety of Preciosa Cut Crystals from Shipwreck Beads, in some of the same colors I already own in Austrian Crystals. I also have the Celestial Crystals I bought a while back and decided not to use. To make my comparison fair, I only compared identically named colors in the 4 mm bicone style. To that end, I compared Light Amber bicones, Crystal Bicones and Crystal AB Bicones. As a color check, I also bought some heliotrope colored Preciosa Crystals and compared them with my existing heliotrope colored Swarovski Crystals. On first glance, the Czech crystals look really good. The faceting is darned close to the Austrian crystals, even under a magnifying glass. There were a few more flawed beads than in a similar sample of Swarovskis. I'm not sure if that's because Letrinka (my Swar. Enabler) does a great job of culling odd beads, or if the quality control at Preciosa isn't quite up to speed. The number of "bad" beads was minimal, anyway. (the flaws were slightly misaligned facets or teeny bits of chipping around the hole in the bead. I had no unusable Czech crystals) Austrian Crystals have a 32% lead content, which is a big reason that they are so incredibly glittery and heavy for their size. A pretty good look at the Preciosa web site doesn't reveal the exact lead content of their crystals, but I suspect it is lower than Swar. The Czech beads weren't quite as beautiful, but very close. The Chinese crystals looked horrid in comparison to either. To compare colors, I took a few beads out in the sunlight, then looked at them in fluorescent light, incandescent light and under my OTT light. The colors are not the same. Close, but not exactly alike. The Austrian clear crystals are a little "bluer" than the Czech kind, but it's not at all obvious when they aren't side by side. The heliotrope was very different, though. The Austrian crystals had a clear edge, because the Czech crystals looked a little gray, and just didn't have that "pop" that makes Sw. heliotrope beads so special. The topaz beads were slightly different shades, but it would be merely a matter of preference as to which one is "better." AB coatings looked identical, which makes sense since the founder of Swarovski Crystal, Daniel Swarovski, was originally from Jablonec in the current Czech Republic. Preciosa Crystals is in Jablonec, one of the most important cities in the development of glass beads. AB coatings are old technology, and both companies have it down perfectly. There are a few areas where Austrian crystals are definitely superior: shapes, sizes and available colors. Swarovski crystals come in an amazing variety of shapes, and have a pallette that makes me drool. When you consider the current range of available Swarovski colors and some of the vintage beads that can still be bought, it's a given that there will be a Swarovski color that will suit your project and your taste. The Preciosa Crystals have a nice color range, but it's nowhere near as extensive as Swarovski's. Preciosa Crystals have some very interesting coatings that are not available in Swarovski, as far as I can determine. It may simply be naming conventions, I'd have to buy and examine the Czech crystals to see what would be a comparable finish in Austrian crystals. (Goody! Another excuse to buy crystals! I'll tell Bob it's for science) The Czech finish names that are new to me are zairite, clarite, celsian, velvet and valentinite. (Velvet may be crystal transmission, I can't be sure) It's the same thing with shapes. Shipwreck carries a limited number of shapes, so I perused the Preciosa web site to see what else they have. Again, no comparison, but they do have the bicones and round beads that comprise most of my bead purchases. Astonishingly, the Czech crystals don't come in the wildly popular cube shape, and the Chinese crystals do. Swarovski crystals come in many more sizes than Chinese or Czech crystals, but the popular bicones come up to 12 mm in all the crystals. I would not mix the Czech crystals and the Austrian ones in the same project - the subtle differences would drive me crazy, and as I said before, the colors are not an exact match. OTOH, I wouldn't hesitate to use the Czech crystals for almost any project, unless I were making high end pieces for sale. The Czech crystals are lovely, but they don't have the name recognition or cachet of Swarovski. The other comparison, which I considered least important, but really needs to addressed is price. Chinese crystals cost next to nothing, but in that case you get what you pay for. Czech fire polished beads are usually worlds nicer than the supposed cut crystal from China. Swarovski crystals cost approximately twice as much as Preciosa, and they are not twice as nice. (The price differential varies - in some cases the price difference is less, and in a few it's more) Maybe 10% nicer, in my totally unscientific opinion. I suspect that the price differential is due to the incredibly cost of doing business in Austria, which is a very regulated place. Swarovski employees are reportedly very well treated, and the laws in Austria protect the workers very well. One thing that impressed me is the Preciosa web site made a big point of outlining the good conditions under which their artisans work, and that they provide benefits on par with Western European countries, unlike most of the former Soviet states. I was unable to find diddly about the working conditions for Chinese crystal makers, and I suspect that they aren't anything to brag about. In a nutshell, Swarovski still has the edge, because of their astonishing number of colors and shapes, and their overall excellent quality and consistency. But if Preciosa continues to improve, I can easily see them matching or surpassing Swarovski in the bead department. I'm delighted to see some competition in the crystal market, because I anticipate that Swarovski will come up with some amazing innovations to maintain their lead. Your intrepid reporter, Kathy N-V |
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In article news.com, Kathy
N-V writes: the Chinese "Celestial Crystals" are a waste of my money, IMHO. Celestial Crystals are imperfectly cut, not adequately finished, and don't have the deep down sparkle of Austrian Crystals. I agree with you. The first time I saw them, I thought they were acrylic. Even after "tooth testing" one, they still looked acrylic.... From what I was told, they contain no lead-- they're plain glass. And, edges chip very easily.... Kaytee "Simplexities" on www.eclecticbeadery.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/simplexities/ |
#4
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Thanks so much for providing all this useful info, Kathy!
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#5
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This is a fabulous review - so much great information! Thank you Kathy. I
definitely am going to check out the Preciosa site for crystals to go with my beads. -- Kandice Seeber Air & Earth Designs http://www.lampwork.net "Kathy N-V" wrote in message Short Version: Oh boy. Someone at Swarovski is probably up nights, worrying about what those wily Czechs are up to, and if they aren't, they should be. Long Version: I adore Swarovski Austrian Crystals, and spend a ton of money on them. In order to save a few bucks, I have tried cheaper crystals in the past, but the Chinese "Celestial Crystals" are a waste of my money, IMHO. Celestial Crystals are imperfectly cut, not adequately finished, and don't have the deep down sparkle of Austrian Crystals. However, the last time I went to the Czech Republic, I saw cut crystal chandeliers that were every bit as nice as any Austrian chandeliers I had ever seen. It got me thinking that if the Czechs ever decided to make cut crystal beads, the Austrians would be in trouble. To experiment, I bought a variety of Preciosa Cut Crystals from Shipwreck Beads, in some of the same colors I already own in Austrian Crystals. I also have the Celestial Crystals I bought a while back and decided not to use. To make my comparison fair, I only compared identically named colors in the 4 mm bicone style. To that end, I compared Light Amber bicones, Crystal Bicones and Crystal AB Bicones. As a color check, I also bought some heliotrope colored Preciosa Crystals and compared them with my existing heliotrope colored Swarovski Crystals. On first glance, the Czech crystals look really good. The faceting is darned close to the Austrian crystals, even under a magnifying glass. There were a few more flawed beads than in a similar sample of Swarovskis. I'm not sure if that's because Letrinka (my Swar. Enabler) does a great job of culling odd beads, or if the quality control at Preciosa isn't quite up to speed. The number of "bad" beads was minimal, anyway. (the flaws were slightly misaligned facets or teeny bits of chipping around the hole in the bead. I had no unusable Czech crystals) Austrian Crystals have a 32% lead content, which is a big reason that they are so incredibly glittery and heavy for their size. A pretty good look at the Preciosa web site doesn't reveal the exact lead content of their crystals, but I suspect it is lower than Swar. The Czech beads weren't quite as beautiful, but very close. The Chinese crystals looked horrid in comparison to either. To compare colors, I took a few beads out in the sunlight, then looked at them in fluorescent light, incandescent light and under my OTT light. The colors are not the same. Close, but not exactly alike. The Austrian clear crystals are a little "bluer" than the Czech kind, but it's not at all obvious when they aren't side by side. The heliotrope was very different, though. The Austrian crystals had a clear edge, because the Czech crystals looked a little gray, and just didn't have that "pop" that makes Sw. heliotrope beads so special. The topaz beads were slightly different shades, but it would be merely a matter of preference as to which one is "better." AB coatings looked identical, which makes sense since the founder of Swarovski Crystal, Daniel Swarovski, was originally from Jablonec in the current Czech Republic. Preciosa Crystals is in Jablonec, one of the most important cities in the development of glass beads. AB coatings are old technology, and both companies have it down perfectly. There are a few areas where Austrian crystals are definitely superior: shapes, sizes and available colors. Swarovski crystals come in an amazing variety of shapes, and have a pallette that makes me drool. When you consider the current range of available Swarovski colors and some of the vintage beads that can still be bought, it's a given that there will be a Swarovski color that will suit your project and your taste. The Preciosa Crystals have a nice color range, but it's nowhere near as extensive as Swarovski's. Preciosa Crystals have some very interesting coatings that are not available in Swarovski, as far as I can determine. It may simply be naming conventions, I'd have to buy and examine the Czech crystals to see what would be a comparable finish in Austrian crystals. (Goody! Another excuse to buy crystals! I'll tell Bob it's for science) The Czech finish names that are new to me are zairite, clarite, celsian, velvet and valentinite. (Velvet may be crystal transmission, I can't be sure) It's the same thing with shapes. Shipwreck carries a limited number of shapes, so I perused the Preciosa web site to see what else they have. Again, no comparison, but they do have the bicones and round beads that comprise most of my bead purchases. Astonishingly, the Czech crystals don't come in the wildly popular cube shape, and the Chinese crystals do. Swarovski crystals come in many more sizes than Chinese or Czech crystals, but the popular bicones come up to 12 mm in all the crystals. I would not mix the Czech crystals and the Austrian ones in the same project - the subtle differences would drive me crazy, and as I said before, the colors are not an exact match. OTOH, I wouldn't hesitate to use the Czech crystals for almost any project, unless I were making high end pieces for sale. The Czech crystals are lovely, but they don't have the name recognition or cachet of Swarovski. The other comparison, which I considered least important, but really needs to addressed is price. Chinese crystals cost next to nothing, but in that case you get what you pay for. Czech fire polished beads are usually worlds nicer than the supposed cut crystal from China. Swarovski crystals cost approximately twice as much as Preciosa, and they are not twice as nice. (The price differential varies - in some cases the price difference is less, and in a few it's more) Maybe 10% nicer, in my totally unscientific opinion. I suspect that the price differential is due to the incredibly cost of doing business in Austria, which is a very regulated place. Swarovski employees are reportedly very well treated, and the laws in Austria protect the workers very well. One thing that impressed me is the Preciosa web site made a big point of outlining the good conditions under which their artisans work, and that they provide benefits on par with Western European countries, unlike most of the former Soviet states. I was unable to find diddly about the working conditions for Chinese crystal makers, and I suspect that they aren't anything to brag about. In a nutshell, Swarovski still has the edge, because of their astonishing number of colors and shapes, and their overall excellent quality and consistency. But if Preciosa continues to improve, I can easily see them matching or surpassing Swarovski in the bead department. I'm delighted to see some competition in the crystal market, because I anticipate that Swarovski will come up with some amazing innovations to maintain their lead. Your intrepid reporter, Kathy N-V |
#6
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Oh - I was just looking at ebay for Preciosa and saw that a seller has some
that are cubes -Mimis Gems - here's a link to one of their cube auctions - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=4941680703 -- Kandice Seeber Air & Earth Designs http://www.lampwork.net It's the same thing with shapes. Shipwreck carries a limited number of shapes, so I perused the Preciosa web site to see what else they have. Again, no comparison, but they do have the bicones and round beads that comprise most of my bead purchases. Astonishingly, the Czech crystals don't come in the wildly popular cube shape, and the Chinese crystals do. Swarovski crystals come in many more sizes than Chinese or Czech crystals, but the popular bicones come up to 12 mm in all the crystals. |
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