Advanced Optics/Fiber Optics

Michael Kömpf

Playing with Light

The name Swarovski stands for the fascinating world of cut crystal. Nevertheless, the Austrian company with a long tradition also offers high quality binoculars, telescopes and telescopic sights.

It is mainly the crystal that stands in the spotlight. The small filigree crowns of the debutants at the Viennese Opera Ball in 2008 or »Bling H2O«, the water bottles for upscale restaurants that are covered with CRYSTALLIZED™ Swarovski elements are the latest examples of the virtuosity of Swarovski. Premium quality fiber optic units and light sources from SCHOTT assist Swarovski in setting the stage for its crystals. The perfect interaction of crystal and light in those familiar Swarovski shops that sell crystal figures, jewelry and accessories successfully all over the world produces that popular spectacle of brilliance and color. In addition, SCHOTT also supplies custom-made fiber optic solutions for architectural elements. After all, the traditional Austrian company offers a wide variety of lighting solutions, for instance so-called »Crystal Starry Skies« for use in interior and light design. Swarovski crystals bundle and distribute light beams and, thus, allow colors and patterns to play unique games on the ceilings and walls of exclusive bars, hotels and wellness oases. ”This is why we customize our glass fiber optic products to meet individual design challenges,” explains Patricia Alter, SCHOTT division manager on lighting in the area of fiber optics. But, the Austrian Group also offers a range of products in which their high quality really only reveals itself when one looks through them. Nature watchers, hunters and amateur astronomers all over the world swear by the quality of Swarovski Optik. Founded in 1949, this company specializes in the development and production of long-range optical instruments of the highest precision in the premium segment of the global market. The binoculars, telescopes, optronic instruments, rifle scopes, range finders and night sights are the products of choice for professional users and demanding nature observers.