PLAYGROUND OF JEWELS

Until recently, when I thought of Swarovski, two things came to mind -- the countless jewelers who design with Crystallized Swarovski Elements, and those little breakable figurines. That changed last week when I visited the Swarovkski Crystallized concept store in SoHo.

Let me walk you through what I consider a playground.

First, a glowing wall of over 2,ooo drawers immediately grabbed my attention. I was told that it's called the Library of Light. The library consists of crystals in every color and spans the length of the retail space.

Some crystals have closures (seen on the right) so they can be clasped onto anything. Others are without, for crafting (left).

There was a wide selection of reasonably priced ready-to-wear jewelry. I was actually surprised at how affordable everything was.

And now for my favorite part -- the store has a DIY section. Yes! It was awesome! There's a color chart to choose stones, cord and hardware findings.

The fun doesn't stop there. Need a cocktail? Past the retail section is a bar and restaurant.

After you imbibe a little, visit the lower level museum for a brief history lesson on the company and a display of old artifacts embellished in Swarovski. Like this circa 1940s crown worn by an Italian celebrity.

By this point, you'll probably need a rest, so pull up a stool in the lounge, Swarovski embellished of course!