Swarovski Acronyms

Acronyms are often used by Collectors when discussing Swarovski crystal. 

Here are some of them:

AE - Annual Edition
MIB - Mint in Box
NRFB - Never Removed from Box
MRP - Manufacturer's Retail (Original) Price
SC - Silver Crystal (Product Line)
E&R - Ebeling & Reuss (Product Line)
CM - Crystal Memories / Moments
D.S. - Daniel Swarovski
NLE - Numbered Limited Editions
Ltd. Ed. - Limited Edition
SCS - Swarovski Crystal Society (Members)
CFC - Crystal Fanatics Club (Members)

CV - Current Value.  The term CV is often used to place a 'current value' on a Swarovski retired piece. This term is often misused in online auctions.  Current values are usually an insurance value (what you would collect from an insurance company for a damaged piece if your collection is insured), not a suggested selling value.  No seller should ever expect a Swarovski figurine to sell for any quoted insurance value, as they are usually highly inflated. Additionally, If the item is sold using a secondary market specialist, their commission is often factored into the value's selling price. For many years, Swarovski values increased over the years. Unfortunately, this has not been the case in recent years.

Always remember that, unless it's a piece that is rarely found in the marketplace, that its value is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

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© Copyright 1999-2011. Crystal Fanatics Club, Inc.
For Collectors of Swarovski Crystal

Daniel Swarovski Crystal Product line

About the Daniel Swarovski Crystal Product line

Daniel Swarovski Art Objects ~ 3 well-known Italian designers were commissioned to produce this line of products: Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini, and Stefano Ricci. All studied architecture before turning their talents to crystal. Each piece is signed and numbered, and issued with the artist's signature, as well as Mr. Helmuth Swarovski's signature. If you got a LOT of money, you can collect these items. A VERY limited number of each piece was issued (ie., 100, 250, 500) and issue prices ranged from $1060 (rare) ALL THE WAY to $42,800.00 (yep, you're reading that right!) ~ For the VERY "ELITE" collector!

For example, The Swarovski Centrotavola Centerpiece, designed by Mendini was issued in the Daniel Swarovski product line in 1989.  So are you wondering just how rare it is?  Swarovski only produced 250 of them with an issue price of $15,000.  The Centrotavola bowl is a Swarovski Numbered Limited Edition. Each come with a numbered certificate, matching the number engraved on the bowl.    This magnificent centerpiece measures a little more than 10" in diameter.

You would think that a Swarovski limited edition figurine of 250 units would hold the original retail price, but it hasn't done so.

So what does this mean to Crystal Fanatics? 
There are a lot of factors that contribute to whether or not a retired Swarovski piece holds its value.  In this case, the biggest factors certainly include the current state of the economy, and the overall appeal to the collector.  With the economy still weak, the trading prices on the majority of retired Swarovski collectibles, as well as the Collectibles industry itself, is pretty much 'down the tubes'.   Why ?
Swarovski crystal is not a necessity, but a luxury; subsequently, collectors are spending less money on it and/or selling off their collections.  Moreover, there are many collectors who still prefer to collect the animal figurines and sculptures.  

The Daniel Swarovski Product Line also introduced a Home Accessories series in 2002. Again, the price points for this line were not for the faint of heart.

At CrystalFanaticsClub.com, you will find Photos of ALL the Swarovski Issues, including the Daniel Swarovski line, in our FABULOUS Photo Galleries, featuring Photos in Full Color, the Swarovski Product Name, Product Number, Designer, Current Value, Year of Issue and Retirement (if applicable) for every issue.

Come JOIN The Crystal Fanatics ~ You'll be Glad You Did
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The Premier website For Collectors of Swarovski Crystal !

© Copyright 1999-2011. Crystal Fanatics Club, Inc.
For Collectors of Swarovski Crystal

ANOTHER Ltd Edition Soulmates PANTHER to be released !

In the color of Orange Shine crystal!

Details:

• Designed by Heinz Tabertshofer
• Numbered on the cut Black Spot granite base 
• Limited to 888 issues
• Size:  21 X 18 cm (8 1/4 X 7 1/16 inches)
• Availability:  exclusively in the Swarovski Online Shop on August 29, 2011 (European Time)
• First come, first served basis while stock lasts.

DID YOU KNOW ? 

• This is the 3rd Soulmates Panther released in color. The previous releases: 
• Crystal Moroda, reflecting the Panther's natural color from a metallic blue to warm bronze with brown-black tones, retailing at $960. This is not an online exclusive & currently available (2011).
• Black Panther, another online exclusive of 500 that was only available for 48 hours before selling out (2010) for $960 and retired. It is valued in excess of $3,000.
• Swarovski produced 33 different colors of the Panther.
• The Crystal Soulmates Panther was first introduced in 2007 and retires this year (2011).

Will Crystal Fanatics get a bit wary of these on-line exclusive repeats ?

Stay Tuned!

Photos of ALL the Soulmates Panthers in ALL their various colors are in our FABULOUS CFC Photo Galleries!  

Come JOIN The Crystal Fanatics here:

Crystal Fanatics Club
The Premier website For Collectors of Swarovski Crystal !

© Copyright 1999-2011. Crystal Fanatics Club, Inc.
For Collectors of Swarovski Crystal

 

Swarovski Certificates of Authority (COA)

Now that Swarovski has made the decision to cease production of their COA's, as well as inclusion with most of their issues, here's a quick history of Swarovski's many changes in the COA.

The Swarovski COA is an acronym for Swarovski Certificate of Authenticity. When referring to Swarovski crystal collectibles, many collectors refer to the generic booklet as the Swarovski COA.
In 1988, Swarovski began issuing this booklet entitled 'Swarovski certificate'. 
While the literature includes the word 'certificate' on the front, in reality, it is product literature, simply advertising other Swarovski crystal figurines manufactured by Swarovski.  
And, a lot of collectors insisted that a Swarovski certificate be included with their crystal in order for it to be considered a completed Mint in Box (MIB) edition. However, we never saw the crystal command higher prices because a Swarovski certificate was included in the box.  

For the majority of Swarovski crystal products, the Swarovski COA was truly a generic product booklet that could be interchanged easily with other Swarovski crystal products.

The question that so many Swarovski collectors have is "Just how important are the Swarovski Certificates?" 

The answer to that question depends on the Swarovski crystal piece in question. If the Swarovski crystal is an Annual Edition (AE), Limited Edition (LE), or Numbered Limited Edition (NLE), or a Ltd Edition Chinese Zodiac (see below), or any issue that is numbered, the Swarovski Certificate of Authenticity is extremely important. For all these types of pieces, the Swarovski certificate is intricate to the issue of the item. You really cannot swap them from other pieces as they are specific to that issue; for example, the Lovebirds certificate and the Woodpeckers certificate cannot be interchanged. In the case of the numbered limited editions, the Swarovski certificate contains the edition number and should match the edition number imprinted on the crystal.

Swarovski Certificate of Authenticity for Chinese Zodiacs

The limited edition Chinese Zodiac figurines also include a unique

Swarovski certificate of authenticity.

All these Chinese Zodiacs have a fold-out card titled 'The Chinese Zodiac'.  

The information is printed in both Chinese and English. This is not a Swarovski certificate of authenticity; it is a brochure that discusses the Chinese Zodiac astrology personalities and is included with all Chinese Zodiac figurines.  However, the limited edition Chinese Zodiac figurines also have a 

certificate of authenticity specific to that figurine.

Be sure that your limited edition Chinese Zodiac, or any of the other special editions mentioned above, includes the Swarovski certificate of authenticity for maximum resale value.

If the Swarovski crystal is an item from any other Swarovski product line, the Swarovski COA is generic and can easily be exchanged from other crystal in the same product line.

©2011 Crystal Fanatics Club, Inc.
For Collectors of Swarovski Crystal

The 'Crystal Fanatics' Photo Galleries

NO ONE takes Photographs of our favorite crystal quite like the

'Crystal Fanatics'.
In fact, our 'Crystal Collection' Photo Gallery has more than 4,500 Photos of Swarovski Crystal, complete with all the information for each individual issue and their respective values.
The entire Photo Gallery is nearing 9,000 photos!
NO ONE offers More Photos to our Members than CFC!
Here is a compilation of just some our best snapshots taken by our CFC members, and now a part of our CFC Photo Galleries.

 Enjoy!

 

Wonders of the Sea Trilogy

The Fabulous Bee Eaters

Ching Ching

Colorado Bowl

A Swarovski Easter

The Swan

The Train Surrounded by Orchids & Water Lilies

Centenary Swan Pin

The Camel

5th Anniversary Birthday Cake

The LovLots

Paradise Fish

The NLE Bull

Paradise Fish

Paradise Butterflies

Come JOIN The Fanatics! You'll be GLAD you did!

Crystal Fanatics Club

© Copyright 1999-2011. Crystal Fanatics Club, Inc.
For Collectors of Swarovski Crystal

The Swarovski Numbered Limited Editions (NLE)

Swarovski issued the first Numbered Limited Edition (NLE) in 1995, with the introduction of the 'The Eagle'. The NLE's are only available to Members of the Swarovski Crystal Society (SCS), and on the Secondary Market after the piece retires (usually the same year), and limited to an issue of 10,000 pieces.
The piece is Numbered and Laser etched with the Swan logo, the year of issue, and the Designer's Signature. Adi Stocker was the Designer for The Eagle. Its bill and talons are in solid Sterling Silver, and rhodium-plated to prevent tarnishing. A framed certificate is with the signatures of Adi Stocker and Helmut Swarovski is included.
Only 2,900 of 10,000 Eagles were allocated for distribution in the U.S. to SCS members.
The Eagle was created to commemorate Swarovski´s 100th Anniversary and comes in special case with a key to secure case closure.
The Eagle originally sold for $1,750 and today is worth thousands more to collectors.
One problem that seems to prevail with this piece is the feathers fall off at the glue joints; however the following issues don't seem to have any major problems.

The Eagle was followed by the Peacock in 1998, The Wild Horses in 2001, The Bull in 2004 (both well-liked issues), the Black Bull in 2005 (only 1,000 of these were issued and it is now worth in excess of $15,000), The Elephant in 2006, and the Rhinoceros in 2008 ( a big flop for Swarovski).

A NEW NLE will be issued in April 2011.
And, IF you are a member of the Crystal Fanatics Club, you've already seen the stunning photos of this piece in Full Living Color! It is Spectacular!

Want to Know More about the NLE's ? ? ?
Come JOIN the Crystal Fanatics at the
Crystal Fanatics Club

You'll Be Glad You Did!

© Copyright 1999-2011. Crystal Fanatics Club, Inc.
For Collectors of Swarovski Crystal