AUSTRIA - Swarovski Silver Crystal Egg Surprise

ITEM SPECIFICS.

• Material:  silver crystal, gold-plated metal alloy.
• Dimension:  47 mm x 38 mm.
• Design:  multifaceted silver crystal egg with three-pronged stand;  part of the Swarovski Crystal Memories SECRETS series;  egg is divided into two halves with a gold-plated metal trim for each part;  the metal trim is embellished around with blue brilliant cut silver crystals;  the parts are joined by a hinge, and a slip-on lock is employed to close the egg;  inside the egg are small blue and colorless brilliant cut silver crystals.  
• Back stamp:  etched on the base of the stand is the Swarovski swan logo.

Made in AUSTRIA.

NOTE:

• This is the first Swarovski crystal I owned.  I bought the item in 2001.  I adore the craftsmanship as well as the brilliance of the piece especially when under a halogen light.

A Bit of Trivia:

• Did you know that when glass is infused with LEAD (Pb), it becomes a crystal.  It is normally called Lead Crystal.  The standard percentage of lead is 24% and the maximum is 32%.  Lead makes the glass brilliantly sparkle.   It also makes the glass softer which is essential in carving out designs.
• Did you know that Swarovski uses SILVER (Ag) instead of LEAD?  This makes the crystal sparkle even more brilliantly.  This precious crystal is known as SILVER CRYSTAL.