Crystal FAQs
What is glass?
Glass is made using three different minerals:
1. Sand (silica) - intense heat changes sand into a fragile form of glass.
2. Soda ash (sodium carbonate) - this is a powdery white material that is added to the mixture to lower the melting temperature of the sand.
3. Limestone (calcium carbonate) - this is added to make the glass stronger.
The raw materials are melted together in a furnace at a temperature of 1600 degrees.
What is the difference between glass and crystal?
Lead Oxide is added to the glass mixture to create crystal. Crystal will give you that ping on a glass or the rainbows in a room. Twenty-four percent Lead Crystal, with its exceptionally high perceived value, has been sought after and treasured for generations, and remains a status symbol even today.
Are there different types of crystal?
Yes.
To be considered crystal, material has to have at least 7% lead oxide in the mix.
To be considered Full Lead Crystal it needs to contain 24% lead oxide. The lead adds the brilliance and the weight to the glass body. We use between 24%-32% full lead crystal.
Is all crystal the same?
No, there are different ways to melt the materials.
We work with a flawless full lead crystal that is made in continous melt tanks. We do not need to cut and acid polish our material to make it sparkle (very few other companies use a flawless leaded material). Most crystal is melted in pots that can create sleaks and streaks in the material so it needs to be cut all over to hide the imperfections throughout the material.
What is Optic Crystal?
Optic Crystal is 100% Lead Free and extremely hard. It is this hardness that provides the basis for the brilliant cuts and bevels, as well as the ultra high polished surfaces. This is a newer material that is sometimes used in place of Full Lead Crystal due to the fact that it is a much less expensive material to produce.
What makes Crystal Signatures Different from all the other award companies?
We start with a pen and a piece of paper and create your awards with your needs in mind. We do not start with a catalogue and try to fit something into your budget and then just engrave it. For us, it"s a process, and we create your awards for you.
Why is Crystal Signatures a patented facility?
We process crystal differently than anyone else in the world; our patents allow us to share our efficiencies with our clients, in turn creating the best the world has to offer in a very timely fashion and with extremely competetive prices.
Does Crystal Signatures have any production limitations?
No, we will work with you to create your vision, and in turn give you a masterpiece.