How to Care for your Crystal

The last several posts have discussed crystal. Today we will offer you tips on how to care for your crystal once you have placed it in your home lighting design.

Full lead crystal is much clearer than common glass and because it is somewhat “softer” the surface of the crystal is more easily scratched. You should never handle the crystal with your bare hands, as the oils of your hand will dull the finish requiring you to clean the crystal. Instead the crystal should be handled only while wearing a pair of soft cotton gloves.

You should avoid use of harsh detergents, chemicals or abrasives. Special crystal care products are available to clean and protect your crystal investment. We always recommend these products to our customers so the luxuriousness of your crystal will last for years to come.




Item shown is a 6-Light Chandelier w/Rosaline Colored STRASS (R) Swarovski Crystals, available at Lighting One showrooms. Visit http://www.lighting-one.com/ to find your closest retailer.

Making & Cutting Crystal

Over the last couple of postings, we have been discussing crystal for your home lighting design. We will continue on that topic and explore the process of making and cutting crystal.

Making crystal involves heating a mixture of sand, potash, (potassium carbonate) and lead oxide to at least 4,352 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the crystal is formed, smoothed and beveled, the crystal is polished to a smooth, brilliant finish. The act of "polishing" is actually accomplished by dipping the crystal into an acid bath to strip away the outside layer of crystal.

Special cutting wheels can be used to cut intricate designs in the crystal. Sandblasting can also be used to cut a design into the crystal. The sandblasting method produces a frosted design, while leaving the rest of the crystal piece clear. When you see the frosted design, it means the crystal was never brought back to the acid bath to be polished.

While any piece of glass can be called crystal, it can only be called "lead crystal" when there is at least 24% lead oxide in the glass. Usually 30% is the maximum amount of lead oxide used in crystal.

It should be noted that each piece of true, hand cut, lead crystal is a unique product. Even though a specific pattern may be used, there will still be very slight variations in pattern size and spacing of the elements. This only adds more charm to the fixture. Absolute product consistency can only achieved by a fully mechanized production system, not by a craftsperson.

Next posting - How to Care for your Crystal

Item shown is a table lamp #6304-AB, excluisvely available at Lighting One showrooms with an exclusive cut from Waterford Crystal Lighting. Visit http://www.lighting-one.com/ to find your closest retailer so you may see the entire Waterford for Lighting One (TM) collection.

What is Crystal?

Last posting, we touched on the elegance of crystal. Today, we will explore that topic further. First, exactly what is crystal?

The art of glassmaking has been practiced for over 2000 years. But in 1676, this art was changed when an English glassmaker, George Ravenscroft, discovered that he could make a product harder and clearer by adding lead oxide to the melted glass. The new glass had a higher luster, was dramatically heavier, had an increase in the index of refraction, and was easier to cut without fracturing. This allowed the glassmaker to make more elaborate designs in the face of the crystal.

By the dawn of the 20th century the production of cut lead crystal was slowly declining as lower cost imitation molded and pressed glass became routinely produced for the masses. However molded glass cannot compare to real cut leaded crystal. Crystal is so much more detailed, with a brilliant luster and it’s sharpness and clarity cannot be compared with these lower cost imitations. Also these imitations often have rough surfaces and mold lines that would never be found on true cut lead crystal.

Properly cut lead crystal has the magnificent ability to disperse light with almost a diamond like brilliance. The brilliant colors of refracted sunlight passing through a fine piece of deep cut lead crystal are simply captivating!

Next posting - Making & Cutting Crystal

Item shown is a semi-flush crystal basket #30204S22, excluisvely available at Lighting One showrooms. Visit http://www.lighting-one.com/ to find your closest retailer.