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Pandas, designed by Heinz Tabertshofer, are the first crystal figurines from the Endangered Wildlife series 2008-2010. / Courtesy of Swarovski
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 By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Swarovski is turning the spotlight on endangered species, by introducing a limited edition crystal series featuring endangered wildlife. The first collection features pandas designed by Heinz Tabertshofer.
Tabertshofer, who was in Seoul last week to promote the Trilogy Endangered Wildlife series 2008-2010, said it is important to protect the environment and save the wildlife.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Tabertshofer said he was always been interested in nature and animals ever since he was a child. His parents, who both worked for Swarovski, also gave him crystals to play with, while he was growing up.
His love for nature and crystals is probably what makes the Austrian-born designer the perfect person to design Swarovski's exquisite crystal animals.
Tabertshofer has worked for Swarovski for the past 30 years, starting out as an apprentice.
He worked at the technical department, and 10 years ago, he was assigned to the design department. His first design was a crystal Siamese fighting fish.
His passion for creating crystal animals clearly shows. Tabertshofer said the design process involves a lot of research, observing the animals in the zoo and making detailed sketches, and eventually precise models.
For the 2008 series, the panda was chosen since it is regularly associated with the threat of extinction. While designing the panda figurines, Tabertshofer said he went to a zoo in Vienna to closely observe the pandas' movements. But he didn't need much time to observe the pandas, whose daily routine consists of eating and sleeping.
``Pandas are very unique and endangered animals. They're one of the rarest animals in the world,'' he said. ``It wasn't possible to go to China, so I went to the Vienna zoo where they had some pandas. I conducted my research, started reading books and watching videos. But the important thing was to see the animals in real life, and talk with the scientists there.''
Tabertshofer succeeded in capturing the essence of the pandas in crystal. He designed an exquisite mother and cub panda set, a single cub, a bamboo window ornament (bamboo represents the panda's food), a giant panda named Ching Ching and a bracelet with panda and bamboo charms. All these are only available this year to members of the Swarovski Crystal Society, a collector's club.
The mother and cub panda set consists of two figurines in faceted crystal, created in clear and black diamond crystal with jet crystal eyes. The mother panda holds a bamboo stalk, while the cub looks playful.
Ching Ching, which means Water Green in Cantonese, is a six-inch tall crystal figurine. As rare as the giant panda it represents, only 33 pieces were made around the world. In Korea, Ching Ching was auctioned off for $9,900, and the proceeds were donated to charity.
With every purchase of a piece from the Swarovski Crystal Society Endangered Wildlife Trilogy, Swarovski will make a contribution to the company's environmental projects.
The Swarovski Water School, founded in Austria in 1999, aims to develop children's awareness of environmental issues especially that of water. This year, the theme is ``Living Yangtze,'' which seeks to help the management of water resources and educate people living in selected towns along the Yangtze River, the longest river in China.
Tabertshofer said the Endangered Wildlife Trilogy will be focused on Africa next year, and India in 2010. When asked which animals will be featured in the rest of the trilogy, he declined to identify them.
But there's a small hint in the title plaque for the entire 2008-2010 trilogy, which features three sets of tiny animal paw prints. The first set is the panda's paw prints, but anyone can try guessing the two other unnamed set of paw prints.
cathy@koreatimes.co.kr | |
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