Last time an idea this good hit the rock ’n’ roll scene, well, rock ’n’ roll was born.

Founded by Bill Valaika, Glam Guitars is an up-and-coming organization out of Denver, Colorado which designs customized instruments using Swarovski crystals—all with a fundraising auction and worthy nonprofits in mind. Each instrument is designed on behalf of a performer, who, in turn, designates a worthy nonprofit to receive net proceeds from an eventual auction. But before the instruments go up for sale, the performers test them onstage to help create a story.

Instruments are designed by a team of artists from the Art Insitute of Colorado. The team first sketches a blueprint and after a collaborative process finalizes a design. Then the crystals are arranged carefully by hand, and a functioning, music-making masterpiece is born. From start to finish, the process takes about 2 weeks, with more than 40 hours alone going to ornamentation.

The final product serves several purposes: It’s a great way to bring prominent performers and the nonprofit world together. On top of that, the instruments are works of art that will delight their final owners for years to come.

The Glam Guitar design team is headed up by Megan Dalbey of the Art Institute of Colorado. Artists include Laci Shaw, Amanda Olsen, Ashley Stonekins, Robyn Disinger and Thomas Minor.

For more information, contact Glam Guitars founder Bill Valaika or Megan Dalbey at bill@glamguitars.com or megan@glamguitars.com

Click on an image below to view a timeline for each guitar: