A multifaceted experience for our SCS members

After the Elegance of Africa livestream in March 2021, members expressed their interest in coverage on the Kristallwelten and in-depth information about the development of new collections. Of course, International SCS Ambassador Ann-Sophie was delighted to deliver and invited members to join another online event that took place just recently.
Ann-Sophie took the new Garden Tales, and Jungle Beats collections as an opportunity to reach out to the designers Michele Blasilli and Martin Zendron and invited them to talk about the inspiration for these products. Michele focuses on functional Home and Interior pieces, which he designs hand in hand with Martin. Together with the decorative items for the Elegance of Africa Collection, these recent pieces marked Michele’s starting point regarding the development of Swarovski products. He expressed his admiration for crystal and described it as a beautiful material with magical aspects. The cuts, the reflections, and the colors provide endless inspiration and sparked his desire to work with Swarovski crystal. Revisit the livestream to hear what he had to say about the meaning and symbolism of the flowers, which are part of the Garden Tales collection. At the Design Center in Wattens, Martin Zendron spoke about the creation of new collections and themes and the process it takes for an idea to come to life in crystal.
In answer to member’s request for special tours of more areas of the Swarovski Kristallwelten, Ann-Sophie enlisted the help of Thomas Steiner. He warmly welcomed the viewers of the livestream to the Swarovski Kristallwelten and introduced Carla Rumler, who presented some of the details of the artwork she curated for the park surrounding the Kristallwelten. During the stroll through the park, she spoke about the crowning piece of the garden, the Crystal Cloud & Mirror Pool. It took design duo Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot an entire summer to shape the clouds and assemble the installation, which contains more than 800,000 hand-mounted crystals.

The most recent addition to the exhibition in the garden is the Dream Saver by Arne Quinze. The cave is lined with 5.5 kilometers of crystal strands and invites visitors to immerse themselves in an unexpected world of light and sound. She closed her insightful tour with a visit to the Crystallized Carousel by Jaime Hayon. The award-winning artist created a striking black and white carousel that incorporates 15 million crystals and is a unique place of wonder for any age.

Thomas Steiner let us catch a glimpse of the Daniels Kristallwelten, a gourmet restaurant in the heart of the crystal worlds. The designers spoke about the Jungle Beats Collection at the bar while sipping a refreshment that Michele mixed according to a recipe he developed for this occasion. Keen eyes will have spotted the Jungle Beats Andoki Cocktail Stirrers.

According to Ann-Sophie, the next Online Event will stream in September. It will be announced via the newsletter, so if you haven’t signed up for it yet, now is the time. The events are a truly positive and inspiring experience for everyone!
Please don’t forget to share pictures and videos of your own crystal arrangements on Instagram with #SwarovskiCrystalSociety. Should you wish to revisit the event, you can visit the recording and find the complete list of products.

Please don’t forget to share pictures and videos of your own crystal arrangements on Instagram with #SwarovskiCrystalSociety. Should you wish to revisit the event, you can visit the recording and find the complete list of products.

Have you always wanted to know how annual editions are created? Or how to present them in the best light? These are some of the topics we covered in the latest livestream event for our Crystal Society members. These livestreams were established back in 2020 as a safe way to interact with our valued SCS members and per popular demand we`ve continued.  

On March 27, 2021 SCS Ambassador Ann-Sophie Mayr hosted another livestream, together with some illustrious guests, such as SCS Designer Heinz Tabertshofer and colleagues from the Manufaktur. Members were invited to submit questions in advance and we were thrilled by how many followed our invitation. It was great to see that the chat was quite busy, as it offers participants another way to interact, share their passion and get even more questions answered. As our experience with this event format grows, so will the number of languages and countries for which we can offer these events. 

The event started with Ann-Sophie and Heinz discussing the inspiration behind the SCS Annual Edition Amai and the Elegance of Africa theme. Heinz spoke about the design process and the differences between zebras and horses and happily answered questions from the live chat about the design and the finished piece. He also spoke about the other creations complementing the theme and the artistry and careful planning that went into the details. 

Members greatly appreciated the introduction to the creation of the prototype and hand sample of the SCS Annual Edition Amai. Gluing expert Monika revealed some of the many exciting facets of her job in the Manufaktur, where she works on the assembly of the first crystal models and prototypes. In the new Manufaktur building, a video tour offered even more insights into the details of the creative processes and craftsmanship behind our figurines. A unique member benefit and a historic first, as we here at Swarovski keep production details a very closely guarded secret! During the tour, members got a glimpse of the showroom, fitted with drawers of crystals arranged in all the stunning colors of the rainbow. The collection of Swarovski Vienna Opera Ball Tiaras and a pair of glittering Yves Saint Laurent over-knee boots designed for Rihanna are beautifully displayed and complemented by other limited editions such as Cinderella’s crystal slipper. 

Sandra, our visual merchandising expert, presented some lighting and display ideas and spoke about the surprising effects which backdrops in different colors and finishes achieve. She invited members to share pictures and videos of their inspiring arrangements on Instagram with #SwarovskiCrystalSociety. Should you wish to revisit the event and Sandra’s tips, you can find the recording here. 

If you haven’t signed up for the newsletter yet, now is the time. The event was a truly positive and inspiring experience for everyone, especially for the prize draw winners! Ann-Sophie announced more Online Events for late spring and fall, so stay tuned!