How to repair a Swarovski annual ornament

The Swarovski company has created annual ornaments every Christmas since 1991 and these snowflake and star designs have become one of their most popular collectibles. Although very beautiful, they are fragile, brittle, and easily damaged by careless handling, Learn how to repair a Swarovski annual ornament in this post from the crystal experts at Artistry in Glass.

For best results: Examine the ornament, clean off the old glue, study the facets, apply UV adhesive, setup with UV light, clean excess glue & place in sunlight for final curing.

The history of the Annual ornaments

Swarovski annual ornaments, otherwise known as Christmas or snowflake ornaments were first created in 1991. This iconic first edition star now commands prices in excess of $2000 to $4000 on the resale market.

Swarovski annual ornament 1991 — **Original Swarovski annual ornament from 1991 is now highly collectible**

Over the years, an impressive series of designs has been created with star and snowflake themes. Collectors treasure these ornaments as family keepsakes representing sentimental memories of past Christmasses as they are displayed at holiday time.

Swarovski annual ornaments also retain a high resale value making them a sound investment.

Resale prices of Swarovski annual ornaments — **Approximate value of retired Swarovski annual ornaments**

Study this comprehensive post for all you need to know about how to collect Swarovski annual ornaments.

Artistry in Glass is not endorsed, sponsored, licensed by, or affiliated with Swarovski AG in any way. Follow this link to reach the official Swarovski website.

Before trying to repair your Swarovski annual ornament

If you have a broken Swarovski annual ornament, there are a few things to consider before attempting to fix it yourself. If the figurine is new and has a manufacturing defect, it can be returned to an official Swarovski dealer with the original box and receipt. Some repairs may also be covered under the Swarovski Collectors Society (SCS) warranty.

If the figurine is not eligible for warranty repair, ask yourself these questions:

What is the damage? Carefully inspect the ornament to assess the damage. There are three main categories of damage: detached parts caused by failed adhesive (mostly fixable), broken-off parts (may be fixable), and chipped parts (seldom fixable).
Is it worth fixing? Determine if the figurine is worth fixing based on its sentimental value and the cost of repair. If it is a low-value, non-sentimental item, it may be more cost-effective to replace it. For help in deciding whether it’s worth fixing consult this post from Artistry in Glass. For details on how to replace damaged ornament – jump to this link.
Am I able to fix it? Gluing a detached crystal requires a steady hand and good hand-eye coordination. If you do not feel confident in your abilities, it may be best to leave the repair work to a professional.

If you decide to proceed with the repair, make sure to clean the ornament carefully (following the instructions in this post) before beginning.

Then follow the steps in this comprehensive post by Artistry in Glass to learn how to restore your Swarovski annual ornament.

1999 Annual Swarovski Crystal ornament repaired with UV glue

How to repair – the steps

Follow these steps for the successful repair of your broken annual ornament:

Wash your hands
Examine the ornament
Clean off the old adhesive
Study the facets
Apply UV-activated adhesive
Setup with UV light or sunlight
Clean excess glue with Q-tip
Place in sunlight for final curing

Don’t forget to wash your hands!

Always wash and dry your hands before starting any repairs – grease or dirt from your fingers can ruin the result.

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Examine your ornament for damage

A careful examination of your ornament is essential. If you find small chips or “flea-bites” these are impossible to fix economically – the figurine cannot be restored to its original condition and it will accordingly have a reduced value.

While examining this 1999 annual ornament we located the tiny (<1/4″) swan logo

Use an illuminated magnifying glass like this excellent one available from Amazon. This will help you to identify minor chips or flaws.

Clean off the old adhesive

The next step in fixing your annual ornament is to clean off the old adhesive. The UV glue that we are going to use is not designed to fix spaces so, to make a perfect bond, every trace of the old glue has to be removed.

We use single-edged razor blades (like these available on Amazon) to carefully cut and scrape away the glue – using a little rubbing alcohol or acetone as a lubricant if necessary. The aim is to return to a perfectly smooth planar (flat) facet like that shown below – to reglue.

Identify the facet for gluing on Swarovski crystal ornament

Study the facets

The second task associated with cleaning the broken facets is to figure out exactly where they have to be re-attached. In the case of the badly busted 1999 annual ornament below – these require a little detective work but the hexagonal (6-fold) symmetry helps greatly to line up the pieces.

Swarovski 1999 ornament - before & after — Detached pieces (left) are marked with clear scotch tape to identify their correct positions

After the detective work, we mark each facet with tape or, if there are only one or two, memorize their positions before cleaning off the old glue.

Apply the UV adhesive

This is the hardest and most crucial step. Getting the position – (the angle and direction) exactly correct. So, do a dry-run – practice holding the pieces in position. Breathe deeply and keep calm to stop your fingers from trembling. /

Once you are confident that you have the correct positioning, separate the pieces and apply a small dab of UV adhesive and place the two pieces together.

Setup with UV light or sunlight

Now for the fun part – this is like Tiger Woods taking the driver at the road hole at Saint Andrew’s – UV glue sets up in an instant – it’s all or nothing!

If you are confident that the pieces are in the correct position, apply the UV light (with an assistant if necessary), or remove the shading, and allow sunlight to set up the glue. It only takes a second or two.

If you discover that the positioning is crooked – act quickly and use a little force or a blade to separate the mis-glued pieces before they are firmly cured- then clean off the glue and start all over again.

Using the positions marked with tape AND the distinctive hexagonal symmetry, we glue the loose pieces back one by one.

Clean off excess adhesive

With practice, you will figure out that a very small blob of glue is all that is needed. If you use too much and it splodges out over the edges, use a fine Q-tip with or without rubbing alcohol to clean of the excess before it hardens.

Place in sunlight for final curing

Once you are happy that all pieces are in the correct positions, we recommend that you place the completed repair in full sunshine to complete the setting up or curing.

UV-activated adhesives

In the past 20 years, significant progress in adhesive technology has transformed the process of bonding glass. Among the various innovations, the most notable one is the development of UV light-cured adhesives.

Contemporary UV-activated glues are transparent, durable, resistant to discoloration, and, importantly, cure rapidly. This quick setup time is particularly advantageous in the delicate task of positioning fragile crystal elements precisely.

In an upcoming post, we will detail our preferred UV glues. For now, here are our recommendations for fixing Swarovski crystal figurines:

Bondic UV liquid plastic welder

This inexpensive UV kit is very handy for the amateur wanted to fix one or two figurines. It combines a fine needle dispenser of glue with a built-in UV light. The small size makes it easy to use.

Bondic UV Glue Kit with Light, Super Glue, Plastic Welding Kit, Curing Light Liquid Plastic Repair, Jewelry Making, Necklace Craft, Glue Adhesive Epoxy Ultraviolet Mold for Glass Epoxy Resin Supplies

Refills are rather expensive but a single cartridge is sufficient to fix several crystal figurines. Although the adhesive is not as strong as the professional types (see below) it is plenty strong enough.

Professional UV-activated glue

If you plan to repair a lot of glass and crystal, we recommend using a professional-grade adhesive from CR Lawrence. This company’s adhesives come in three viscosities, high (thick), medium, and low (runny).

High-viscosity (thick) adhesive – is the best choice for figurines

Medium Viscosity – general-purpose adhesive

Low-viscosity (runny) adhesive – good for car windshield repairs

We prefer using the thickest (high viscosity) type of adhesive for most simple Swarovski repairs because it kind of “grips” loose crystals and keeps them in place for a few seconds before curing.

One of the significant advantages of the CRL range of adhesives is their high quality and reliability. Unlike many competing brands that arrive with dried-up glue, CRL adhesives come in black, light-resistant bottles.

To cure the CRL glue, you need to purchase a UV lamp such as the one recommended by Artistry in Glass on Amazon, or you can rely on sunlight.

It’s essential to note that these CRL adhesives will not harden when applied to the surface. Instead, they set up when applied to the minuscule gap between two pieces of crystal. This non-curing characteristic makes cleaning the surface a breeze with a Q-tip. (Innovative artisans can attain a glossy UV glue surface by placing a clear cellophane or acetate film over the glue before exposing it to UV light).

Conclusion

Many older Swarovski annual ornaments come apart because the old glue dries up. If you have steady hands and good coordination you can make a broken Swarovski annual ornament look as good as new – without sending it out for professional repair.

If you doubt your abilities please feel free to consult the experts at Artistry in Glass – call 520-320-0104

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