Whether you are buying crystal glasses, crystal stemware or crystal figurines, it is important to know the quality level of the crystal. This is especially true if you intend to purchase lead crystal product which is the highest quality of crystal.
Knowing just a little bit about crystal will help you to make a wise purchasing decision and prevent you from paying a higher price for lower quality product. Without getting deeply into the technical aspects of crystal manufacturing, here
are some of the basics to help you.
The main difference between glass and crystal is the lead content. Both glass and crystal are composed of sodium, but crystal also has silicone and metallic oxides added to give it a lead content of at least 10 to 24%. The addition of these materials makes the crystal heavier and changes the light refraction index of the item. The result is a brighter and cleaner piece. Since lead crystal is not as brittle as standard glass, craftsmen can make deeper and more complicated cuts in the crystal.
For glass to be called “lead crystal,” the glass must meet three criteria defined by rigorous rates and percentages.
There are four types of lead crystal,:
Full Lead Crystal which has 30% or higher lead content, a density rating of 3.00 and a refractory index of 1.545 or greater (how crystal refracts light)
Lead Crystal which has a 24% lead content or higher, a density of 2.45 and a refractory index of 1.545 or higher refractory index.
Crystal glass also referred to as Crystalline which has only 10% lead content, a
2.45 density and a refractory index of 1.520
Crystal glass also referred as to crystalline (resonant glass in French) which has a 10%
lead content, a density rating of 2.40 and a low to zero refractory index.
There are many factors that affect the price of crystal beside the lead content. Obviously the higher the lead content the higher the base cost of the product. The method of producing the final figurine also affects the price. Figurines can be made by pouring the glass into a mold, creating a figurine by assembling and gluing various shaped crystals or cutting a design from a solid block of glass. Each method is progressively more expensive because of the labor involved.
Another factor affecting the price is the intricacy of the crystal figurine design,
regardless of the production method. Each method will usually involve some cutting, grinding, gluing and polishing.
There are a number of companies, mostly Chinese, that produce crystalline figurines. You can purchase these figurines at a very reasonable price if you are on a tight budget. Just keep in mind that you are not purchasing a lead crystal product. Also be aware that there are unscrupulous companies that claim that their figurines are lead crystal when they are really crystalline. It is difficult for the untrained eye to tell the difference between the two. You certainly don’t want to buy a crystalline figurine for a lead crystal price.
You can protect yourself by purchasing from reliable merchants in your local area
or on the internet. Your dealer can tell you the lead content of any crystal figurine you want to purchase. They are carefully instructed by the major figurine manufacturers in all aspects of their products. The major manufacturers also include a Certificate of Authenticity with every crystal figurine. The certificate is
your additional assurance of the quality level of the product.
You can buy with confidence using this information. You don’t have to be an expert to purchase good quality products. Just ask the right questions and determine the correct type of crystal and you will purchase the right product at the right price.
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