Swarovski Rivolis - All About the Sparkle

Popularized by Laura McCabe’s incredible beadwork designs, the Rivoli is one of my favorite new products from Swarovski. These are round or square crystals that are undrilled (no hole for stringing) and have pointed backs. They have lots and lots of facets to capture that famous Swarovski sparkle, and come in as many colors as you can imagine, including a lot of Swarovki’s new colors like Chili Pepper, Crystal Shade and Crystal Copper. I’ve got a small but steadily growing collection of vintage Rivolis including some dark emerald green and “seal”, a beautiful shade of blue similar to Montana blue.

These incredibly versatile little gems can be used in anything. I’ve seen them in rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and of course, Laura’s stunning beaded beads. They look fabulous when mixed with other Swarovski crystals, but you can also mix them with freshwater pearls, Czech firepolished and pressed glass beads and gemstone beads. Their use is limited only by your imagination!

Several online retailers sell Rivolis in a wide array of colors and sizes. Fire Mountain Gems has expanded their line of available colors and sizes, and their discounts on large orders make them a bargain. The Beadin’ Path, WhimBeads, Artbeads and Beyond Beadery all have a fantastic selection of Rivolis in some more unusual colors, and WhimBeads offers a nice discount if you buy multiples of the same items. You can find links to each of these stores at the bottom of this article.

Vintage (1920s) Rivolis are available from a few good, online sources. The best source is Laura McCabe’s eBay store, HighEndBeads. The availability of these Rivolis is very limited, so if you see something you like, buy it while you can.

Because there are no holes on these stones, you have to stitch a bezel around the stone before you use it. The easiest way to do this is with circular even-count peyote stitch using Japanese cylinder beads and some smaller size 15 seed beads. Below is a chart that will tell you how many cylinder beads you need in the initial ring for each size Rivoli. Depending on how tight or loose your beadwork is you may need to increase or decrease the number of cylinder beads in the initial circle:

Rivoli Size	Number of Japanese Cylinder Beads
12mm	26
14mm	30
16mm	34
18mm	38

It helps to be comfortable with even-count flay peyote before you begin. Once you know how to bezel a Rivoli, you can also use the technique (with a few modifications) to stitch a peyote bezel around any cabochon.

Here are a few links to places where you can shop online for Swarovski Rivolis:
High Ends Beads (Laura McCabe's eBay store)
The Beadin' Path
Whimbeads
Beyond Beadery