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I get asked a lot of questions about the stones I use in my work. As I’ve stated before, the quality of my pieces is very important to me. Not only do I enjoy looking at a brilliant pair of flip flops that I’ve just created, but I want to make sure you, the customer, are positively thrilled with your shoes as well. Because of this, I use only the finest crystals on the market: Swarovski and Preciosa.

Swarovski, as most people know, is the most popular lead crystal manufacturer in the world. It is a name just about anyone in the world recognizes, and for good reason. When people hear “Swarovski,” they automatically know it’s going to dazzle. For many years, Swarovski crystal quality and brilliance was unmatched. What most people don’t know is that Mr. Swarovski was a former employee of the company now known as Preciosa for many years before he decided to venture out and build a company of his own. With the skills and techniques he learned in the Czech Republic, is was an easy transition for him – and quite a successful venture, at that.

Preciosa is the second leading lead crystal manufacturer in the world, producing high quality crystal beads and rhinestones for decades. The lead content in their crystals is somewhere around 30%, which is about 2-3% less than Swarovski’s lead content. It’s taken them a little longer to gain the respect they deserve, as Swarovski is such a dominating name in the trade, but they finally have it.  With most stones, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between Preciosa and Swarovski rhinestones, even with a jeweler’s loupe. The biggest difference at this point is that the most current style of Preciosa flatback rhinestones have 12 facets instead of 14, like the Swarovski Zilion Rose 2028 styles have. However, that isn’t always a bad thing: Tinier surfaces tend to make it more difficult to reflect light from distances exceeding 6 feet. Preciosa’s stones are, IMO, better suited (pardon the pun) for costumes and clothing/accessories that will be seen from distances greater than 6 feet.

The reason I use both brands, not one verses the other, is because there are certain colors that can only be found in certain brands, certain deals I may find on a particular brand/color, or I might favor the appearance of a given color in Swarovski or Preciosa. An example would be in certain “AB” effect stones, I think Preciosa “outshines” Swarovski as it were because their AB coating is more subtle, bringing out the intensity of the color itself more. This is just one example, but my reasons vary from case to case. Regardless, I assure you that when I am designing a pair of crystal thongs for my customer, my #1 priority is to make sure those shoes are the most beautiful flip flops you’ve ever seen, and you’ll want to wear them again and again.

Thanks for reading. I hope this may have answered some of the questions you might have had regarding Preciosa vs. Swarovski crystal flatbacks.

Any questions for me can be sent to: artizancreations@aol.com

Warm regards,

Zan