">I have recently heard about vendors passing off Preciousa fro Swarovski.
They even call the Preciousa Swarovski. Dont let that happen to you.
Swarovski vs. Preciosa Crystals
Many retailers of Swarovski crystals are actually selling Preciosa crystals rather than genuine Swarovski. There are some differences.
Swarovski and Preciosa use different methods to produce their crystals. Preciosa uses a machine cut on its crystals where Swarovski uses a hand cut for their crystals. Another difference is that Swarovski stones are produced in Austria and Preciosa are produced in the Czech Republic. Preciosa crystals have fewer facets than Swarovski and only recently came out with the 12-facet crystals. Swarovski crystals use a 14-facet crystal for the hot fix crystals. In some other countries, Preciosa crystals are called Swarovski, when in fact they are not genuine Swarovski crystals. Swarovski crystals tend to weigh more than the competitors do since they put more lead (the safe lead, see our blog ) in their crystals. They use 32% lead in their crystals which combined with all of the facets, makes them sparkle more. Swarovski crystals also take “wear and tear” better than other brands.
You can rest assured that all of our Swarovski Products are genuine crystalized Swarovski crystals.