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The "AB" (Aurora Borealis) is a bead treatment inspired by the Northern Lights. Invented in 1956 by Swarovski in partnership with Christian Dior, this treatment is applied to glass beads and creates a rainbow—or iridescent—effect. The creation of the AB finish was one of the first times that Swarovski partnered with a renowned designer on a product development. Swarovski began experimenting with the manufacturing processes by coating crystals with extremely thin layers of met