By: Julia Aidan
Submitted: 2009-10-27 20:54:24 | Word Count: 537
Glass is hard, brittle and transparent and has a variety of uses from eye glasses to windows and a whole lot in between . Glass can be broadly classified into three major groups: soda-lime glass, lead glass as well as borosilicate glass. If you really want to know more aout the interesting facts about glass, then you need to read on this page.
Soda-lime glass: is the most general sort of commercial glass and is responsible for almost 90% of all glass production. It is also the least expensive type of glass. This sort of glass is chiefly used for windowpanes as well as glass cans such as bottles and jars.
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Lead glass: as the name indicates has a high percentage of lead oxide in it. It is distinguished by a fairly soft surface which makes it perfect for beautifying purposes where grinding, cutting, and etching has to be done. Lead glass is unable to withstand high temperatures or sudden temperature changes. Generally an individual would not use the term crystal for glass due to its creation, but the word lead crystal persists to remain known due to ancient and commercial reasons and dates back to the Viennese and their famous Murano glass.
Borosilicate glass: any silicate glass with at least 5% of boric oxide in its composition falls into this category. Borosilicate glass has a higher tolerance to thermal changes and chemical oxidation. Due to its chemical make-up it is very useful in industrial chemical plants, laboratories and the pharmaceutical industry. At home our plates and other heat resistant items are made from Borosilicate glass.
Now that we know so much about the types of glass and its general structure, it is time to reveal to you one of the best uses of glass. General glass is used to build some of the most beautiful, delicately etched spun figurines ever known to man.
This art dates back to the first century BC and has evolved over the years to become a flourishing industry. These wonderfully carved glass figurines are even termed lace glass figurines to lay focus on the incredible quality and detail of the work. There's a whole smorgasbord of choice awaiting you - choose from dogs, cats, horses, tigers and other animals, or birds or fairies or ships or any other item you desire. Admirers of spun glass figurines can go passionate out there choosing products for their collections. The spun glass figurines are made in colored glass and crystal, with or without gold and semi-precious stones.
The wonderful part about gathering glass figurines is that each grouping has a large collection. For example if you start collecting animals, say dogs you will be hard pressed to choose - they are so beautifully crafted down to the finest detail you will want them all. You will see glass figurines of dogs, sitting, resting down, standing, energetic poses, sleeping and much more. You will also find figurines of different breeds of dogs and can very well end up with a huge collection of spun glass figurines. But it is a joy to behold these beautiful pieces and they will add merriment and improve the decoration of your home.
