The Swarovski company is responsible for a whole host of products, including bonded abrasives and industrial machinery, but it is best known for the invention of its founder, a special method for producing crystal glass. The company name is synonymous with crystal glass sculptures, chandaliers, miniatures, as well as jewelry.
The founder of the firm, Bohemian-born Daniel Swarovski , first apprenticed in the art of glass-cutting and then patented a special electric cutting machine that created crystals, when he was only thirty years old.
Three years later he established the firm with the help of a financier, and built a factory in the Tyrol region of Austria, because it required a large amount of electricity to grind the glass, which could be provided by the hydro-electric dam located there. To capitalize on the success of its brand, Swarovski built a crystal theme park where its first factory once stood.
It is also famous for forging a 2.7 meter diameter 250 kilogram snowflake that is placed atop of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in New York City.
