You'll be hearing a lot about Swarovski watches lately as they just officially entered into the watch world with self-branded collection. Many of them are surprisingly quite nice. For years (and in to the future as well), the company make various grade crystals to be used on watches when diamonds were too much, or the application was different. The new Swarovski collection has a multitude of watches but the most hip and urban is easily this D:Light digital watch. Basically, you have 172 Xillion-cut (sounds classy eh?) crystals that make up a display panel. A light under the crystals can turn on or off creating the numbers that are displayed for the time.

The lights do more than just help tell the time and apparently put on little shows for you - but I'd have to see the watch in full action to understand that part of it more. Two versions of the Swarovski D:Light watch will be available including steel and gold PVD models. Inside is a Swiss quartz movement. It certainly looks more like a time-telling bracelet than a watch, but the look is just right for some and is most certainly unique. Priced $1,500 - $1,700.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

I'm not sure just how long these items have been available but I honestly had no idea Swarovski carried a line of architectural lighting options. Whether you choose a single crystal for a more modern setting or an artsy array of crystals designed to dazzle the eye Swarovski has a variety of choices to suit your home decor. Glam up your home with wall-mounted, recessed ceiling, or hanging luminaires each showcasing a unique design and glittering glow. I wonder how much light the single cut crystal of the 'Octa' and 'Madison' actually gives off -- is it a fancy nightlight or contemporary mood lighting?

Sad but true: the recession has hit the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in the South of France next month, an international symbol of glamorous excess. Cutbacks are being made everywhere, from ritzy parties to the type of food being served, the AFP tells us. For starters, Vanity Fair has canceled its annual star-studded party, the social highlight of the festival, while the VIP nightclub Jimmy'z lost two key sponsors, Fendi and Swarovski, and Louis Vuitton said it would skip AmFar's big-ticket AIDS charity fundraiser.

"We're experiencing an unprecedented world crisis and it's also affecting the Riviera and Cannes," says Michel Chevillon, head of Cannes' hotel association. "Companies are sending fewer people, for shorter periods." 70% of the area's hotels have frozen their room rates compared to last year, and many are taking bookings for less than the full 12-day period, something normally unheard of at festival time, Chevillon tells the AFP.

Overall attendance at the festival is expected to be down for the first time in decades. "People are afraid it will hurt their image to be seen in a place associated with wealth," Cannes deputy mayor David Lissnard tells the AFP. Yacht charters are also suffering, as brokers struggle to find clients in Cannes' port, where all 60 berths for megayachts were booked up in anticipation. "There's a lot less demand this year for yacht rentals and a lot of pressure on prices," says broker Valerie Ruiz, who rents out yachts up to 200-ft. for the festival.

Made for strolling the beach, certainly not for beach volleyball, the 'Anita' bikini studded with 5,000 vibrant Swarovski crystals is this season's summer bling. Offered exclusively at Selfridges & Co in London this limited edition swimwear gem from Pistol Panties costs about $3,000 (£2,000). Its maillot silhouette ties behind the neck and narrowly connects in the middle by a beaded gold rope. This colorful, sexy number will certainly make a sensational statement at any coastal getaway. Just think twice about jumping into the ocean.

[via Lussorian]

Wheelchairs are not known for being attractive (few assistive devices are) but the K-Nova Limited Edition Swarovski Wheelchair is making a valiant effort at changing that perception. As the name would suggest, it's a wheelchair that comes with over 200 Swarovski crystals embedded in places like the frame, wheels, and backrest, plus besides being pretty the chair should also be comfy and functional as Kuschall prides itself on putting out high-quality and technically trendsetting chairs. The wheelchair is available in either black or red and is limited to an edition of only 444 worldwide.

The 2008 Milan Furniture Fair had one particularly unique and sparkly exhibit consisting of Swarovski-encrusted snowboards. The display was the result of two leading Swiss and Austrian companies pairing up with the University of Art and Design Lausanne, where industrial design and visual communication students were given Nidecker snowboards in order to customize them by graphically inlaying Swarovski crystals.

Nidecker has a wide variety of top quality snowboards available (in all patterns and colors) but unfortunately the above glitzy and glamourous versions aren't for sale. Maybe they'll eventually be auctioned?

Via BornRich

Finally, some bling for cats! UK pet door manufacturer Doors4Paws now offers a Swarovski crystal-encrusted cat flap decorated with more than 1,000 crystals. The Hertfordshire-based firm sells a number of standard designs as well. Sarah Gildersleeve, Doors4Paws co-owner, told The Daily Mail, "We've already received a barrage of calls, and people are requesting all sorts of individual designs -- from getting their cat's name painted on the top to the crystals. ... At the end of the day, they're a bit of fun. There's so much doom and gloom these days. We want to put a smile on people's faces." £1,000, or about $1,407, based on today's exchange rate. Not yet available on the company's site, but check back -- the company seems to be just getting going.

A Swarovski-encrusted microphone might be a little juvenile (any real rocker wouldn't be caught dead with one of these I'm sure, except maybe Beyoncé) but that doesn't mean it can't be fun, gimmcky, and a great gift for a musically-inclined kid. These mics are from Sennheiser and are available in one color, two color, and multi-color customizable versions -- they even accept requests for crystallizing microphone stands and other accessories.

So what will it be, a heart? A skull? A crazy paisley pattern? The sky's the limit as long as you have $799-$1000 to spend (which doesn't include the actual microphone).

Via Bornrich

This is ridiculous.

Remember the $350,000 Swarovski-studded Mercedes-Benz at the 2007 Moscow Millionaire Fair? Well, they've done it again.

The above photo is from the Tokyo Auto Salon 2009, and it features a customized Mercedes-Benz SL600 (aka the Luxury Crystal Benz) covered in 300,000 Swarovski crystals. We don't know how much it costs, but frankly, we weren't about to purchase it.

Even Barbie wouldn't get in that gaudy thing.

[via Luxury Launches]

When I did a post on ridiculous uses of diamonds in 2008, reader Miss Ruby's comment inspired me to do one on uses of Swarovski crystals, starting with the crystal stopper on a luxury wine barrel. The crystals, which are relatively inexpensive and come in a multitude of colors and shapes, lend themselves to design more readily than diamonds. Watches, phone cases and perfume bottles are the among the usual uses for these sparkling doodads but just about any thing can be bedazzled as we'll see in the gallery below. Will these new restrained times bring about an end to covering available surfaces with twinkly bits in 2009?

Talk about a great way to ruin a beautiful car -- paste pink Swarovski crystals on every visible surface. More than 300,000 crystals cover the car's hood, trunk, license plate, and even wheel rims, forming roses, hearts, ribbons, and lots of general over-the-top girliness to symbolize the beauty of marriage. Even the interior features crystals next to the shift knob and on front and backseat throw pillows (what?).

Designed by Zheng Zhiren the car is currently on display in Taiwan and is apparently a big hit. It's valued at approximately $306,000.

It's getting a little tight now for stocking stuffers and Christmas gifts but if you're looking for something sparkly and last minute for someone else, or a totally over-the-top splurge for yourself, consider these Limited Swarovski Edition Slant Tweezers from RonRobinson. Voted a 'Best of Beauty' winner by Allure magazine 7 years running for the perfectly angled and hand-filed slant tips, these tweezers are used and recommended by beauty professionals (although presumably without the bling). Shown here in Devine White, the tweezers are covered almost completely with Swarovski crystals and come with a coordinated leather case. $100

We've already highlighted Swarovski's Annual Edition Ornament for 2008 but the luxury-minded shopper may have more sparkling needs in the ornament department. This iconic crystal company is offering sixteen other options for glamorous gifts or tree bling at your own home. Snowflakes are the most common design but angels, trees, stars and stockings with a touch of tasteful color will also ring in the holiday season beautifully. Even babies aren't forgotten with the pacifier- or duckie-shaped ornaments to commemorate a first holiday. Faberge's ornaments, available at Neiman Marcus, showcase a familiar egg-shape of mouth-blown glass with delicately handpainted designs. Jay Strongwater's Musical Ornaments at Saks add a sense of frivolity to your tree with a touch of Swarovski bling too. And Bergdorf Goodman is selling L'Objet's Pagoda Ornament which is14K gold-plated and adorned in freshwater pearls and, again, Swarovski Crystals.

A bejeweled tree is bound to make quite a statement during your holiday gathering and an even bigger impression as a gift.

I'm going on a trip next week and although I'd love to have a new stylish suitcase I think this Swarovski Crystal Trunk by Samsonite Black Label is a bit over-the-top for my taste. Modeled after a popular 1920s style and covered from top to bottom in sparkling, glittering crystals, this trunk is a mix of flash and class -- modern bling on a vintage design.

The trunks are available in a limited edition of only be 30 and although they were available on Colette just last week, as of today they're no longer listed.

No snowflakes are alike and so Swarovski offers a different snowflake for each year to celebrate the holiday season. The Holiday Ornament, Annual Edition 2008 has chosen a faceted-crystal snowflake with a blue satin ribbon and a small silver-tone tag with year of issue 2008. It retails for $75 and is available at Swarovski boutiques nationwide. Swarovski is donating $250,000 from the sales of its Annual Edition holiday ornament to Clothes Off Our Backs to benefit children's charities worldwide.