Your Guide to Purchasing Swarovski Annual Snowflake Ornaments

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Swarovski Christmas ornaments add that special Swarovski sparkle to your Christmas decorations. Some of the limited editions of the Swarovski annual ornaments have become such highly prized collectibles that the company has listed that year's design as officially sold out even before Christmas arrives. This guide provides the information you need on genuine Swarovski ornaments.

You can use these guidelines for identifying not only genuine Swarovski Snowflake Ornaments but all genuine Swarovski crystal products, including Swarovski beads.

The version of the Swarovski logo that was in use in the year when the product was created will be laser etched into the surface with the exception of designs like the annual Swarovski Snowflake Ornaments that were released in the early 1990s. The etched logo may be faint and difficult to see, however, and imitators have copied the logo.

Because Swarovski uses 3D software to calculate the direction in which the light will be reflected off of each facet and then uses that calculation to control the machine cutting of their products, all of the edges of the facets point up and match the adjoining edges exactly.

Also because of this precision machine-cutting method, all Swarovski Annual Snowflake Ornaments for a given year will be identical in size, shape, and in the cut of the facets. This is also true for each size and style of Swarovski bead and all other Swarovski creations.

The AB finish given to all genuine Swarovski creations also produces a uniform surface luster with no swirls or scratch marks.

Genuine Swarovski creations will not contain any bubbles.

Swarovski created their first annual Snowflake Ornaments in 1992. These ornaments were available in both the United States and Europe. The 1992 annual Snowflake Ornaments hang from a red ribbon. Snowflake Ornaments released from 1993 to 2010 hang from navy blue ribbons. Snowflake Ornaments released since 2011 hang from white ribbons. For example, the Swarovski annual edition ornament 2018 hangs from a white ribbon.

The Snowflake Ornaments are packaged in triangular boxes and contain a card with information about the ornament. Except for the ornaments released in 1992 and 1997, the card lists the year that the ornament was issued.

From 1992 to 1996, the Snowflake Ornaments were packaged in red boxes with no outer sleeves.

In 1997, Swarovski began packaging the Snowflake Ornaments with an outer sleeve and an inner box.

From 1997 to 2001, the ornaments came in white boxes.

Since 2002, Swarovski Christmas ornaments have come in blue boxes with a small blue Swarovski certificate in addition to the card. For example, the Swarovski annual ornament from 2002 comes in a blue box with an outer sleeve, and the box should contain both the informational card and the blue Swarovski certificate.