SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS and GAIA&GINO Launch The Goddess Adorned to Benefit Housing Works

NEW YORK, Dec. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, the premium brand for precision-cut crystal elements manufactured by Swarovski, and GAIA&GINO will unveil The Goddess Adorned, an auction of limited-edition vases designed by Harry Allen and transformed by a host of designers and celebrities. 100% of auction proceeds will benefit Housing Works, the charity committed to ending the dual crises of AIDS and homelessness by providing lifesaving services for men, women, and children living with and affected by HIV and AIDS in New York City and beyond.

One-of-a-kind creations from a range of celebrities and designers including Bethenny Frankel, Carson Kressley, Doo-Ri, Gemma Kahng, Harry Allen, Isaac Manevitz for Ben-Amun, Janis Savitt, Kelly Rutherford, Kenneth Jay Lane, Melissa Joan Hart, Rupert Sanderson, Tinsley Mortimer, Ted Wertz for Ted Rossi, Waris Ahluwalia, and Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen for Elizabeth and James will be available for bidding on www.shophousingworks.com. 

The unique collection of GAIA&GINO vases were originally created by designer Harry Allen and embody the form and feminine shape of its namesake, the Goddess of Earth. GAIA&GINO, the company synonymous with witty, inventive and eye-catching interiors products, created 15 limited-edition vases in three sizes: Baby Gaia, Young Gaia and Adult Gaia.

"I was inspired by Gaye Cevikel, the owner of GAIA&GINO. She is a truly fashionable woman, and every time you meet her she has a new look," says Harry Allen, founder and president of Harry Allen Design. "That is where I had the idea for a vase that can be dressed, and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS is the perfect accessory."

In true GAIA&GINO style - where collaborators tell a unique story - the vases were reinterpreted in the signature style of each celebrity and designer using a range of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.

The Goddess Adorned auction will be live for two weeks starting Tuesday, December 6 through Tuesday, December 20 on www.shophousingworks.com. The vases will be on display at the SWAROVSKI CRYSTALLIZED™ Concept Store at 499 Broadway between Spring and Broome Streets in New York.

About SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS

SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS is the premium brand for the finest crystal elements manufactured by Swarovski. The designers' choice since the founding of the company in 1895, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS provides creative talents from the fashion, jewelry, accessories, interior design and lighting industries with the latest on-trend innovations. Available in a myriad of colors, effects, shapes and sizes, SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS offer designers a fabulous palette of inspiration. Born out of passion for detail and high-precision cutting, they impart refined glamour to everything they embellish. These precious ingredients can be recognized through the "MADE WITH SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS" label, which serves as a certificate of authenticity. It marks products that are made with genuine SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. Swarovski, a family company for more than a hundred years with values rooted in integrity, respect and excellence, is noted as much for its ethics in business as for its contemporary artistry and innovative flair.

WWW.SWAROVSKI-ELEMENTS.COM

About GAIA&GINO

GAIA&GINO is an award-winning luxury interiors brand with witty, inventive and story-telling products, designed by luminaires such as Karim Rashid, Arik Levy, Andree Putman, Yves Behar and Sebastian Bergne. The company is founded in 2004 in Istanbul, Turkey and GAIA&GINO products are available worldwide through luxury and design retailers. WWW.GAIAGINO.COM

About Harry Allen Design

Harry Allen Design is a full service consulting design firm with areas of expertise, including industrial design, interior design, graphic design, and identity development. Harry Allen does not underestimate his audience. His long-standing interests in art, new materials, and a systematic design approach have lead to some of the most intelligent products and interiors in the world today. For a complete listing of projects, awards and press visit www.harryallendesign.com.

About Housing Works

Housing Works is a healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Our mission is to end the dual crises of homelessness and AIDS through relentless advocacy, the provision of lifesaving services, and entrepreneurial businesses that sustain our efforts. For additional information visit www.HousingWorks.org.

In 1895, Daniel Swarovski, a Bohemian inventor and visionary, moved to the village of Wattens, Tyrol in Austria, with his newly-invented machine for cutting and polishing crystal jewelry stones. From this beginning that revolutionized the fashion world, Swarovski has grown to be the world's leading producer of precision-cut crystal for fashion, jewelry and more recently lighting, architecture and interiors. Today, the company, still family-owned and run by 4th and 5th generation family members, has a global reach with some 23,000 employees, a presence in over 120 countries and a turnover in 2010 of 2.06 billion Euros. Swarovski comprises two major businesses, one producing and selling loose elements to the industry and the other creating design-driven finished products. Swarovski crystals have become an essential ingredient of international design. Since 1965 the company has also catered to the fine jewelry industry with precision-cut genuine gemstones and created stones. Showing the creativity that lies at the heart of the company, Swarovski's own brand lines of accessories, jewelry and home decor items are sold through more than 1,900 retail outlets worldwide. The Swarovski Crystal Society has close to 325,000 members across the world, keen collectors of the celebrated crystal figurines. And in Wattens, Swarovski Kristallwelten, the multi-media crystal museum, was opened in 1995 as a celebration of Swarovski's universe of innovation and inspiration.

SOURCE SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS