Swarovski is the luxury brand name for the range of precision-cut lead crystal glass and related products produced by companies owned by Swarovski AG of Feldmeilen, near Zürich, Switzerland.
Swarovski crystal contains approximately 32% lead to maximize refraction.
In order to create a crystal that allows light to refract in a rainbow spectrum, Swarovski coats some of its crystals with special metallic chemical coatings. Aurora Borealis, or "AB", is one of the most popular coatings, and gives the surface a rainbow oil slick appearance
A Rhinestone or paste or diamante is a diamond simulant made from rocks, glass or acrylic.
Originally, rhinestones were rock crystals gathered from the river Rhine. The availability was greatly increased when around 1775 the Alsatian jeweller Georg Friedrich Strass had the idea to imitate diamonds by coating the lower side of glass with metal powder. Hence, rhinestones are called Strass in many European languages.
Rhinestones may be used as imitations of diamonds, and some manufacturers even capture the glistening effect that real diamonds have in the sun.
