Mad for Sparkle- Preciosa Crystal Innovations for Spring Summer 2025

The Ethical and Sustainable Manufacturing of Preciosa Crystal

With a trend towards buying the cheapest or fastest rhinestones and costume trimmings on Amazon, we feel it is necessary to discuss why we choose to put our support behind Preciosa Crystals, the manufacturer of MAXIMA Crystals by Preciosa and our own rhinestone brand, LUX European Crystal.

Responsible Bohemian Glass Making since 1548

“A great place to start is with an interview with Preciosa Glassworks Director, Helena Patkova, published in the Materia Bohemica magazine “Mad for Sparkle, Crystal Innovations SS2025”.

Picture blazing hot furnaces, heavy, hard-to-operate machinery, and giant cauldrons the size of small bathtubs filled with molten glass so hot it could literally melt your face off. Glass production on an industrial scale is no joke. It is a serious, highly skilled practice that requires precise coordination of many simultaneous processes and can be dangerous if not approached correctly. But if you think this sounds like a man’s job, think again. Let us introduce you to Helena Patkova.” Materia Bohemica Vol. 13

Helena and her team are responsible for the production of two hundred tons of molten glass every year. They manufacture along the Prysk stream in a North Bohemian village, “Bohemian glass since 1548”. The glass begins its lifecycle in this village and Helena is making positive changes with innovative new glass making techniques.

The Most Sparkling & Sustainable Molten Glass

The impressive clarity of Preciosa crystal first comes from the quality of the sand and coloring agents.  A highly intricate process finds the exact combination of up to fifty different base mixtures.  The mixture is not just unique to the color of the finished crystal but also the size of the color of the finished crystal.  This is one reason you will find such difference in color from cheaper rhinestone brands made in China.  This very first step in the production of rhinestones and other crystal components is the most important.  "if the mixture is not exactly right, the whole glass batch becomes unusable and has to be re-melted down" says Helena.  

What is the secret to the high quality melts? "It is a combination of expert knowledge, effective machinery and top-quality raw materials, the most important of which is sand." The Bohemian region of the Czech Republic became famous because of the abundance of high-quality sand.  Then add the human expertise and modern industrial-scale manufacturing that Preciosa continues to invest in, it is no wonder these crystals sparkle like no other.  

The Path to Cleaner Crystal; Emissions Reduction

Preciosa is located in one of the most highly protected areas in Europe.  The picturesque landscape between the Lusatian and Jizera mountains, borders Germany and Poland.  This area is known as the Bohemia and is the epicenter of high-quality glass making since the sixteenth century.  Preciosa is contolled by the most stringent environmental legislation in Europe but also chooses to take extra steps to ensure their production practices do not ever interfere with the region's rich biodiversity.  You can be assured that by choosing Preciosa crystal rhinestones, you are choosing a brand that is cleaner and highly environmentally sensitive.  

Striking, the Process Behind Rose Peach

Preciosa’s latest color innovation, Rose Peach, is among the most challenging to get right; not just for Preciosa, but for the entire glassmaking industry. Milan Pátek, chief technologist at Preciosa’s glassworks in Prysk explains. 

“Exact times and temperatures depend on the present compounds, desired color and stone size. This information, along with our many glass recipes – we have around 3,800 – are closely guarded trade secrets, known in full by only three people in the factory.” Although the glass is re-heated, it is not re-melted. At this stage, the glass is already in the form of what is referred to as the “blank.” A blank is an intermediate or partially finished piece of glass that will undergo further processing – it already resembles its basic shape but is not fully shaped: cut, polished or finished. The blank is first cooled to a hardened state, then placed in an oven heated to several hundred degrees. “Colors that require a higher temperature are covered in layers of clay to protect against deformation or re-melting,” explains Mr. Pátek. “Re-heating is a highly specialized process with many variables, leaving lots of opportunities for error.”

Make sure to check out Preciosa's new colors, Acid Yellow, Acid Yellow Shimmer AB, Rose Peach, and Rose Peach Shimmer AB.  SHOP NEW COLORS