Romantic glimmer
( Beijing Weekend)
Updated: 2005-01-17 08:42

With exactly one month until Valentine's Day, it's prime time to buy your beloved gifts to show your affection.

One ideal choice for female friends is pure, transparent crystal jewellery and accessories.

A recent trend among Chinese youth in large urban areas is to make crystal jewellery of all kinds with their own hands. Many young image conscious ladies go to select their favourite crystal pieces in DIY (do it yourself) shops, and then return home to create jewellery. They chain the crystals into necklaces, bracelets or a pair of earrings, in any form they choose. In a way, they become jewellery designers themselves.

If DIY jewellery is too much for you to handle, you can buy beautiful crystal pieces for your loved ones as well. One location we recommend is the Swarovski crystal boutique located in the China World Trade Shopping Centre.

Either for pretty crystal gifts, or simply for inspirations to draw from for your next DIY piece, the Swarovski boutique is a crystal fantasy wonderland that is sure to satisfy.

The world-famous Austrian brand has over a hundred years of history based on an original family business. Swarovski is one of the world's most established and recognized crystal brands.

On the transparent shelves and counters at their China World Trade Centre location, glimmering crystal objects of all shapes and colours are displayed. Fish, tigers, spiders, turtles and birds crafted completely of crystal show off their beauty with transparency and closely resemble the real creatures.

The objects shine with surreal, silent power. Sparkling pendants, made of manmade crystal and cut in numerous phases with the superb skills of Austrian handicraftsmen and designers, shimmer, each with their own unique beauty. Although less pricey and precious than diamonds, crystals shine with the same beauty and dignity. Like different rays of light from heaven, the crystals inspire human souls with the same purity and peace.

As far as romance is concerned, Swarovski does offer special gift items for Valentine's Day.

Besides a bunch of roses, and a love letter sealed with a kiss, a piece of jewellery or curio made from crystal can add glamour to your romantic gesture on this lover's holiday.

Crystals in the shape of hearts and in all shades of red are quintessential Valentine's items and are made available at the store.

There are red, heart-shaped mini flowerpots for cute gifts, as well as a crystal heart-shaped case containing smaller heart-shaped crystals.

One of the largest objects is a big heart-shaped candlestick. Red crystals are formed as leaves and are used to fill the heart-shaped branches.

These items are ideal gifts to put on the table or by the window as they shine both under sunlight and candlelight.

Last but not least, there are several pendants for necklaces. Many varieties are available, from solid crystal pendants to platinum hearts embedded with a large crystal.

For those wanting chic, modern patterns, there are pendants in naughty jigsaw shapes dotted with crystal stars, and pendants in conical contours.

The crystal gifts range from several hundred yuan to thousands of yuan, meeting the demand of different buyers.

If the works at Swarovski are out of your price range or just don't feel original enough, you can bring the ideas home, go choose some crystal pieces in a DIY store and make your own crystal gifts. Either way, your partner's eyes will fill with loving light when you present her with any crystal gift.