Here are the different navette (also called marquis / marquise stones). Pictured are article numbers 4200, 4206, 4228

Here are the Swarovski red and orange shades! Sun, Hyacinth, Light Siam, Siam, Ruby, Garnet

Here are the blues and aquas. Blue shades shown are Indian sapphire, aqua old & aqua new (Swarovski changed aqua colors at one point), light sapphire, sapphire Montana sapphire, Capri blue, blue zircon and turquoise (opaque).

Here are some of the different oval cuts and their article numbers - 4100, 4120, 4128, 4140

Here are some of the black, gray and clear shades that Swarovski has used over the years. Since Swarovski adds colors all of the time, there are going to be new colors that are missing from this chart. Swarovski also discontinues colors over time. These are Swarovski's original color swatches. Please keep in mind that the color on your screen could be different from the actual color. the colors shown are black diamond, crystal, shadow crystal, morion and jet black (opaque).

We'll begin our identification of shapes of stones with rounds. There are different names you'll see when you are shopping for round stones - chatons, rivoli, dentelle, brillion etc. These are what they have been named because of design of the stone. It really has to do with the cut of the stone. You will also see article numbers for both Swarovski (Austrian) and Czech (Preciosa) stones. As the companies develop new cuts, they change the article number slightly. We'll go into more explanation what cuts were discontinued and which ones are still around in another blog entry. :-)

Here is an old Swarovksi rhinestone chart that I came across. The stones are in settings which have been sewn onto the card. The company was Samuel W Schneider in New York City. Look at the old phone number. This probably dates to the mid 50's or earlier. If anyone has old Swarovski, Czech etc catalogs, salesman's samples, charts, please let me know. I'm always interested in those bits of history!

Welcome to the blog for Pretty Snazzy! This is where you will find all kinds of information about vintage jewelry (including patents), rhinestones (including Swarovski, Czech, French etc), jewelry supplies, repairs and more! 

Here is a little bit about my background. I've been doing vintage jewelry since 1999. The Trifari bracelet pictured was the very first piece I ever sold. In about 2000, I noticed how many pieces I had that were missing a stone or two (or more!). I started accumulating stones. One day I told my husband that I was going to sell rhinestones. He told me, "They'll never sell." I told him "Yes they will. Just wait and see.". They did sell! Everything I made on them went right back into buying more. I was very...