Glass Vs. Crystal
Wine glasses can be created using many different materials. Each type of glass, including what it is made with, will impact the glass’s durability, clarity, and thickness.
The three main types of glass used in wine glasses are soda-lime, leaded crystal, and lead-free crystal.
Glass
Regular glass is usually referred to as soda-lime and is any glass that doesn’t contain lead. However, it could also be made of the more durable borosilicate glass often used in cookware.
Soda-lime glass makes up 90% of all glass manufactured today. It is lead-free using around 50% Silica (sand) then a mixture of soda and lime.
It is mass-produced because it is reasonably clear. It is durable enough for everyday use, and all of the raw materials needed to produce it are incredibly cheap.
The problem with using soda lime to make wine glasses is that the clarity and light refraction are not very good.
This means that when you are looking at the colors of your wine or watching the legs, you’re not getting the clearest possible picture.
For everyday drinking, this is no big deal, but when you are enjoying something more expensive, being able to see the color and texture of your wine is extremely important.
Soda-lime glass also needs to be blown thicker than crystal because it is not as durable.
This means that it will have a thicker rim, so the weight and feel on your lips will be different than crystal.
A thinner lip is preferred when drinking wine.
A bonus is that regular glass, unlike crystal, is non-porous, meaning that it is dishwasher safe. This is nice for any glasses you may be drinking out of frequently.
Soda-lime glass will also be lighter than an identical piece of traditional crystal since it is not infused with lead.
Leaded Crystal
In the 1600s leaded glass came onto the scene in Europe and immediately became a glass associated with the wealthy. Although it is called “lead crystal,” this glass does not have a crystalline structure.
The name came from the Venetian word cristallo, which was used to describe the imitation of rock crystal by the Murano glassmakers.
Crystal was revered because of its incredible clarity and high refractive index. It also has an extremely low melting point meaning that glassblowers could work with the glass for longer before it cooled.
This, coupled with its naturally stronger nature, allowed them to create much thinner glasses than they were able to make with regular soda-lime.
Both of these attributes are attainable because of the glasses’ high lead content.
The more lead used in the glass, the better the clarity, and the lower the melting point was, allowing it to be blown thinner. This lead also gave the glass strength, so although the glass was blown thin, it was still durable.
When held up to the light, Crystal will create a rainbow prism effect, and when the lead content is above 35%, the glass will actually sparkle; especially if it has been etched to create a pattern in the glass.
Crystal is also recognized for its unique sound. When striking the side of a crystal glass, you will often hear the telltale high pitched ring. The greater the lead content of the glass, the longer the tone.
This is contrary to an everyday soda-lime glass, which often gives a deeper thud when struck on the side.
Crystal in America is anything containing 1% or more lead oxide. In Europe, they regulate crystal as anything containing 24% or more lead oxide. 24% is the standard for quality crystal and is the measure at which glass can be called “full lead crystal.”
Glasses using less lead oxide than 24% or using other oxide metals must be called “crystalline” or “crystal glass.” But some higher-end manufacturers like Waterford use as much as 30% lead. This raises the clarity and refraction of their crystal even further.
It is important to note that the more lead added to the crystal, the more the glass will weigh.
Because of this, regular wine glasses usually are lighter in the hand than crystal glasses. Crystal is also a porous glass, which makes it hand wash only.
The debate over lead crystal wine glasses being safe to drink out of is a decisive one.
Although the government has deemed it safe to use, they do not recommend that you store anything in crystal for long periods of time and that you don’t leave a drink in your glass for more than a few hours, as this can increase the likelihood of lead leaching into your beverage.
They also recommend that you wash your glasses before and after every use.
Lead-Free Crystal
Lead-free crystal came into being as an alternative to traditional lead crystal. It was created because people love the brilliance of lead crystal.
But as lead became associated with a litany of health issues, people became worried about drinking or eating out of glass that contained lead.
Because of this, they set out on a mission to design a glass that had the same clarity and refractive index as crystal but without the lead.
This was eventually achieved by replacing the lead with titanium oxide, barium oxide, zinc oxide, or potassium oxide.
It holds the same incredible clarity and refraction that made crystal so beloved but without the lead. This glassware is also lighter and has less dispersive power than crystal.
Although lead-free crystal is referred to as crystal, it technically is not. What lead-free crystal should actually be called is brilliant glass as it is merely an improvement on regular glass, giving it better clarity.
Patented Forms of “Crystal”
Many companies are now patenting their own forms of lead-free crystal glassware. They do this to make a glass with the same clarity and sound as traditional leaded crystal but with increased strength and durability.
This allows them to make either thinner glass or standard glasses with extreme durability. These methods include infusing the glass with things like titanium, magnesium, or zinc to increase the glass’s overall strength without sacrificing any of the aspects of crystal that people love.
