Monthly Archives: December 2011

Love is in the Air..

Posted in Fashion & Accessories, Waffling by

One of my close friends, and fellow lover of bling, got engaged recently and I went to her and her fiance’s engagement party over the weekend.

 
Prior to this, I spent a while thinking about what present would be suitable for her. And then it finally hit me – a personalised Swarovski case! Sure, the idea seemed a bit unorthodox at the time. But then again, I’ve always opted to do something different. So I went along with this plan and came up with a very simple design. I made a simple picture of it, chose the colours I wanted, and sent them straight to the workshop. After about a week, it arrived in the post!!
 
Even though it’s simple, I still feel proud that I designed it myself XD

I chose an AB background with some pink and opal crystals. The heart is outlined with opal crystals and the first initial of the couple is written inside each heart. AB crystals are my favourite so I love how shiny they are!

 
I’m so glad that I followed through because my friend loved it!! Yay!! Raine - 1, Conventions - 0.
 


You can create your own customised Swarovski Elements case at Accessories HQ!
Please visit their official Facebook Page here. You can also follow them on twitter here. 
 
Have a great day!
 
Raine xoxo
 

Accessories HQ Swarovski Cases: My Top Picks

Posted in Fashion & Accessories, Review by

A special package arrived this morning! I was so excited when I saw the sparkly goodness inside. So the rest of the morning was subsequently spent “ooh-ing” and “aah-ing” at the new designs. 

 
I’m pretty sure since the discovery of Swarovski cases, I’ve spent countless hours sitting under bright light, waving them around and saying “Look at that! It’s just so sparkly! It’s like magic!” I really don’t know what it is about these crystals, but I am just so drawn them to. Kind of like how Gollum was so attached to the Ring, but in a healthy way.
 
So anyway, now that I’ve gotten all that off my chest, I would like to do a review on the Accessories HQ cases.
 
So far, for the ready-to-order comes in 6 designs:

 
Straight from the box – the Accessories HQ ready-to-order cases have introduced 6 designs.
Each case comes with a velvet pouch and spare Swarovski Crystals. I really like the colour combinations used in these designs. So here are my top 3 picks:
 
1. The White Bow 3-piece Case
Straight from the packaging – Front view
Close up – I love the combination of the clear and AB crystals! This combination actually is the most sparkliest, hence I would definitely recommend it to anybody who loves bling! 

 

The case gets detached into 3 pieces for ease of putting the case on and taking the case off! We all know that the squareness of the iphone 4/4S can be a real pain-in-the-rear to attach hard phone cases. Gotta love user-friendly features!

 

This is what it looks like when attached to my iPhone.

 

Front view – The case really protects the edges and corners.
2. The White Camellia Clear Case
The White Camellia Case features clear crystals. I find the design to be quite simple yet elegant. I find that clear crystals by itself adds a touch of sophistication.
3. The White Ballerina Clear Case
This design is the most simple and basic out of all designs.  I’m normally the type that goes all out with the bling, but I really like this case! There’s a subtle hint of purity and elegance. Love it!

 

Close up – My favourite feature of the case is definitely the combination of the Opal and AB crystals. This pairing definitely is, in my opinion, what makes this case so special. The effects are just absolutely stunning!
So there we have it, my top 3 picks! You can view all the other designs here. 
 
Random side note: This is just a follow up to my previous post about how to spot fake Swarovski Crystals. Coincidentally, the day after I blogged about it, I went to my local shopping centre and there was a new stall selling phone cases. And one of those cases had really sparkly crystals on them. I enquired about it and the shop assistant told me they were “genuine Swarovski” and quoted me a price that seemed rather cheap for genuine Swarovski. So I actually examined the case close up for a short while and although the crystals were really really small (and me being a bit long-sighted also didn’t help), I did manage to see that the crystal was cut quite poorly, trying to imitate the Swarovski cut, but very wonky. In my head, I  immediately declared the case fake and walked away thinking “Hoorah! I feel so pro now”. And that is my story. =)
 
Until next time, take care everybody!!!
 
Raine xoxo

Real vs Fake Swarovski Crystals: A Guide to Spotting the Difference

Posted in Tutorial by

I’ve recently come to realise that the market is full of Swarovski crystal products, some of which sellers have tried to pass off as “genuine”. I was a little bit mortified with this news, being a girl who absolutely LOVES the blingiest bling of all blings aka B.B.B. Like seriously, when I’m surrounded by shops, my body starts levitating towards anything sparkly, or so I’ve been told (teehee). So being the detective that I am, I knew that it was absolutely my mission to look into this matter. 


 (Please note that this only applies to Flatback Swarovski Crystals as they are one of the most commonly used crystals for accessories) 


 I spent the next few days looking around the market place, getting a bit hands on and examining sample pieces. I’ve even come across some suppliers who have offered me “alternatives” to the real deal, which by the way looks almost like the real deal but at a fraction of the price! 


So with all the information that I gathered within a few weeks, I came to one conclusion: 


 You can absolutely tell the difference between real and fake Swarovski Crystal with your naked eyes!


So I’m going to write down all the things that you need to look out for so that in the future, you could easily tell whether or not the crystal is real simply by looking at it.


1. The Price
As I previously mentioned, fake Swarovski Crystals are a fraction of the price of real ones. So if the price you paid is too good to be true, then it probably is. Of course some sellers may sell their fake crystals for ridiculously high prices, but that’s another story..


2. The Brilliance
Now this is the absolute basic. Swarovski Crystals are really sparkly, especially under direct light. If you’re shining a torch on your bling and it’s not lighting up like a kid on Christmas day, chances are, it’s not the real deal. But having said that, with the “really good quality fakes” (direct quote I got from a seller) that they’re making these days, it might be harder to tell if you do not compare them side by side. 

Exhibit A:

 

 
Two sets of crystals side by one. If you look at them one at a time, they both look shiny. But when comparing them side to side, can you see the difference?
 
So obviously the phone case on the left is the real deal. You can see how easily the light reflects off it.
 
Now let’s examine the crystals close up.
 
Fake Crystals:
Close up, the crystals definitely look less briliant individually. They have a cloudy appearance. This is one of the most popular tell-tale signs that it is fake. The genuine crystals will NEVER look cloudy inside.
Real Crystals:
I’m pretty sure by now it is becoming more clear (pun intended). The difference is SO obvious close up. The real crystals are just so much more clearer and brilliant.
 
Please keep in mind that some Swarovski colours are not as shiny as other colours (e.g. Pink Rose is not as shiny as Clear Crystal) so it’s probably best to compare crystals of the same colour.
 
The final way to tell if the crystals are genuine or not is the cherry on top of the cake.
 
3. The Cut
 
This is one of the most OBVIOUS ways to tell if the crystals are real or not. So here’s a little bit of background information:
 
Daniel Swarovski was the brains behind the machine that made precise cuts to the crystals which separated the Swarovski Crystals from the rest. This machine is extremely precise and is pretty much impossible to replicate. So this means that all crystals are CUT in the same shape.
 
As you can see from the picture, every crystal has 14 facets, one larger than the other. The facets are all cut the same way as pictured. The fake crystals do not have this feature. You can go back to the previous pictures and see for yourself. In the picture, the cut on the left is the old style that was used previously, and the cut on the right is the new improved cut that was implemented by the Swarovski Company earlier this year for more brilliance.
So there you have it, the three ways to spot the difference between genuine and fake Swarovki Crystal products. With this information in mind, every time I pass a shop or a stall that sold crystal products, I have found it extremely easy to to tell simply by examining it close up. One thing that you need to look out for is that some sellers may mix the fake and real crystals together, but once again, if you examine them closely one by one, you can easily tell!
 
I hope that this information has been useful and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
 
Take Care!
 
Raine xoxo