How the 15th Anniversary, Swarovski-Crystal O Was Made

"We’ve been crystaling nonstop since 6 a.m. Saturday," said stylist and model maker Megan Caponetto, smiling in spite of her exhaustion, at the Thursday cover shoot in New York City in late January. "Just one panel of this O took seven or eight hours." The heroic effort paid off: This month’s inside cover is a work of art made of Swarovski crystals—in keeping with the tradition of crystal as the classic 15th anniversary gift. Inspired by the gorgeous, meticulously crafted pavé gem pieces of Paris-based jewelry designer JAR, the O has JAR’s signature 3-D sparkle (but not the six-figure price tag). The twinkly creation was shot against two backgrounds—one pink, one sapphire—before the latter was declared the winner. Work this detailed requires precision and a top team: Caponetto, first assistant Tim Costa and second assistant Rodney Dejong used sculpting tools and tweezers to make sure every bit of sparkle fit just so. But eventually it was time for Caponetto to put away the sharp objects. Said O creative director Adam Glassman, "She hasn’t slept for days!"

Caponetto and Costa inspected the wooden lasercut O templates, which they glued together and painted a glossy black.

Caponetto added wire to the O’s edges to make sure it kept its shape. Each crystal was secured with Dazzle-Tac jewelry glue.

Caponetto worked the graveyard shift, skipping three nights of sleep to get the job done. "I do better staying up than most people," she says. "And I’m kind of a control freak."

Caponetto sorted all the crystals by size and color before getting to work; Feinberg carefully poured them. "We needed gloves to prevent fingerprints," says Caponetto.

Caponetto and Feinberg had to get the placement of each crystal exactly right. "It’s all about the lighting," says Caponetto, "because crystals are like little mirrors."

Feinberg and Glassman zooming in on the inside cover. Be sure to pick up your copy of the May issue from newsstands!

To find out how you could win one of 15 Swarovski Crystal-studded 15th Anniversary issues, visit OMagCircle.com.