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Swarovski

Swarovski (/swɒˈrɒfski/, German: [svaˈrɔfski] ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Tyrol. It was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski.

The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, which primarily produces crystal glass, jewelry, rhinestone, watches and accessories; Swarovski Optik, which produces optical instruments such as telescopes, telescopic sights for rifles, and binoculars; and Tyrolit, a manufacturer of grinding, sawing, drilling, and dressing tools, as well as a supplier of tools and machines.

Today, the Swarovski Crystal Business is one of the highest-grossing business units within Swarovski, with a global reach of approximately 3,000 stores in roughly 170 countries, more than 29,000 employees, and a revenue of about 2.7 billion euros (in 2018).

Swarovski is now run by the fifth generation of family members. It has been announced, however, that for the first time in the company's key history, senior management positions will come to be filled by non-family members during the course of 2022.

Daniel Swarovski was born in Jiřetín pod Bukovou, a village in northern Bohemia (now the Czech Republic), 20 km (12 miles) from the current border with Poland. His father was a glass cutter and owned a small glass factory. It was there that the young Swarovski served an apprenticeship, becoming skilled in the art of glass-cutting. In 1892 he patented an electric cutting machine that facilitated the production of crystal glass.

In 1895, Swarovski, financier Armand Kosmann, and Franz Weis founded the Swarovski company, originally known as A. Kosmann, D. Swarovski & Co. and shortened to KS & Co. The company established a crystal-cutting factory in Wattens, Tyrol (Austria), to take advantage of local hydroelectricity for the energy-intensive grinding processes Daniel Swarovski had patented. This factory was home to the first crystal-cutting machines that revolutionized the jewelry business by creating a method for the mass production of crystals. Swarovski's vision was to make "a diamond for everyone" by making crystals affordable.

In 1899, it first used the edelweiss flower in its logo and expanded to France, where it was known as 'Pierres Taillées du Tyrol' (lit.'Cut stones from Tyrol'). In 1919, Swarovski founded Tyrolit, bringing the grinding and polishing tools from the crystal business into a different market.

In 1935, Swarovski's son Wilhelm created a customized pair of binoculars, which led to the launch of Swarovski Optik 14 years later. Swarovski Optik manufactures optical instruments such as binoculars, spotting scopes, rifle scopes and telescopes.

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